West Division Player of the Week

Lexi Jager, Western Michigan, So., Outfielder, Kalamazoo, Mich./Comstock

Jager continued her clutch 2009 performance. Her home run on Saturday plated what proved to be the winning run in WMU's 4-0 win. She led off the sixth inning on Sunday with a base hit and scored WMU's only run of the game. Her home run on Saturday was the 11th of her young career, which ties her for second all time at Western Michigan. She continues to lead the team in multiple hit games (11) and multiple RBI games (5). Her current six-game hit streak is the second longest on the team this season.

East Division Player of the Week

Jess Carmichael, Kent State, So., Shortstop, Dalton, Ohio/Dalton

Carmichael helped the Golden Flashes finish 4-0 in conference play on the weekend, with hits in all four wins. She batted .455 on the week with three walks for a .571 on-base percentage. Carmichael's two-run homer in the fifth inning against Ohio gave the Flashes a 5-1 lead. She also launched a three-run homer against Akron to give KSU a 4-0 lead. Carmichael scored runs in 3-of-4 games, stole a base and carried a 1.091 slugging percentage.

West Division Pitcher of the Week

Elizabeth Milian, Ball State, Jr., Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc

Milian helped the Cardinals improve to a 10-1 conference record with three wins this weekend. She accumulated 20 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched for a 1.22 ERA. She pitched her fourth season shutout in game one against Toledo Saturday in head coach Craig Nicholson's 800th career victory. Milian has 146 strikeouts this season, the most in a single-season in her career.

East Division Pitcher of the Week

Jessica Simpson, Miami, Fr., North Canton, Ohio/Hoover

Had spectacular week in starting three of the four Miami victories, earning the complete game win in each start. Finished the week with 29 strikeouts in 21 innings, an average of 1.4 K's per inning. Gave up only a single run in the bottom of the sixth in last game against BG, when the RedHawks were already ahead 7-0. With Miami's offense struggling in the 1-0 win over BG Saturday, Simpson became unhittable, shutting out the Falcons on five hits with a career high 14 strikeouts. Her one walk allowed in that game was intentional.

Additional Player of the Week Nominees

Lisa McLean, Akron, Sr., Centerfield, Canton, Ohio/Perry

Senior lead off hitter Lisa McLean posted five hits over the weekend and drove in two runs and scored two runs against Buffalo and Kent State. McLean also stole three bases against the Bulls, bringing her yearly total to 33. Having only been caught twice, McLean is averaging .86 stolen bases per game.

Alicia Barkley, Ball State, So., Shortstop, Oaklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City

Barkley helped the Cardinals earn four more MAC wins this weekend with a theme of two’s. She batted a .571 average with two hits in each of the games and two RBI in all but one game for six RBI total. She finished 8-for-14, including a perfect 2-2 against Bowling Green in game two Friday. She also stole a total of five bases and was 3-for-3 in attempts against Bowling Green in game one. She drove in the game winning run with an RBI single in the top of the ninth for Ball State’s 20th season victory at Toledo Sunday.

Kristin Waldron, Buffalo, Fr., Catcher, Windsor, NY/Windsor

The freshman catcher leads the Bulls across the board, owning the teams highest batting average (.352), most RBIs (23) and most hits (37).

Katie Greenman, Central Michigan, Jr., Utility, Shelbyville, Mich./Wayland Union

Drove in CMU's first run against No. 8 Michigan that put the Chippewas ahead 1-0, a lead they carried into the sixth inning ... went 1-for-4 with an RBI double against Eastern Michigan on Saturday ... went 1-for-3 against Eastern Michigan on Sunday with a run scored and a stolen base.

Heather Han, Eastern Michigan, Sr., Catcher, Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon

Hit .429 (3-for-7) with four RBI and one home run in helping the Eagles sweep the regular season series from Central Michigan for the first time in school history. In the first game against CMU, Han accounted for all three runs, hitting a three-run home run to center, helping the Eagles to a 3-2 win. In Sunday's come-from-behind win, Han went 2-for-3 with an RBI. When she reached base on an error, it allowed the Eagles to score the winning run in the sixth inning.

Sarah Billstrom, Miami, Jr., Shortstop, Douglasville, Ga./Chapel Hill

Led team in hitting as Miami was perfect on the week. Four out of her five hits were for extra bases. Also had two walks for a .538 on base percentage. Her 11 total bases gave her a 1.000 slugging percentage.

Brooke Morgart, Ohio, Fr., Infield, Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood

Morgart gave opposing pitchers fits during the week while hitting .545 (6-for-11) over Ohio's four games. The slap-hitting freshman also scored three runs and slugged a team-best .636 to go with her .583 on base percentage. Morgart picked up two hits in three of Ohio's four games and toted a perfect fielding percentage over the course of the week.

Additional Pitcher of the Week Nominees

Heather Bauer, Akron, So., Medina, Ohio/Highland

Sophomore Heather Bauer pitched 10.1 innings over the weekend allowing no earned runs. Throwing 7.0 innings against Buffalo, Bauer walked no one and picked up her 11th win of the season. Against Kent State Bauer came in and pitched 3.1 shutout and hit less innings against the Flashes.

Jaclyn Caro, Eastern Michigan, So., Chino, Calif./St. Lucy's Priory

Pitched both games against Central Michigan, helping the Eagles sweep the Chippewas for the first time in school history. Struck out seven batters while allowing CMU batters to hit .170 in two contests. In the first contest against the Chippewas, a 3-2 win, Caro allowed only three hits in the game.

Kylie Reynolds, Kent State, Jr., Greensboro, Ga./Morgan County

Reynolds went 3-0 with a save in four weekend appearances against conference opponents. She tossed 23.0 innings in three days and carried a 1.22 earned run average. All three of her victories were complete games. Reynolds struck out 14 in her win over Ohio and held Akron to just one earned run on both Saturday and Sunday.

Melissa Bonner, Ohio, So., Kings Mills, Ohio

Bonner threw two complete games on the week, not allowing a walk in 13 total innings. The sophomore also toted the lowest ERA of Ohio's pitchers while carrying a WHIP of 0.92 for the week. Bonner also helped herself out offensively, where she homered, drove in four runs and scored three runs on the week.

Meghan Thomas, Western Michigan, Jr., Kalamazoo, Mich./Comstock

Meghan Thomas improved to 3-2 in MAC games with her first shut out of the season. She allowed just one hit during a start for the first time this season. Batters hit .043 with Thomas in the circle this weekend.
Thomas was also responsible for the Broncos' game-winning run in Sunday's game, recording an RBI with a base hit in the top of the sixth inning.