Last week it was the state of Texas that had the standout players… this week it’s Florida’s turn!

It’s not hard to see why the Univ. of Florida is the reigning National Champion and is rated as the No. 1 team in the nation at this point when you have performances like that of one pitcher who has filled the sizable shoes of graduated hurler Hannah Rogers!

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Florida’s Haeger, UCF’s Turnier Named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week

Senior pitcher/designated player Lauren Haeger of Florida and UCF junior Shelby Turnier were named the 2015 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively for games played over Feb 10-15.

Lauren Haeger

Haeger was dominant in the circle as well as productive at the plate, helping the No. 1 Gators (11-0) to a 6-0 week. The Peoria, Ariz. native was 3-0 with two complete game shutouts, earning victories over Jacksonville, Iowa and North Carolina State. Garnering SEC Pitcher of the Week honors, Haeger struck out 24 and allowed just eight hits as she ran her scoreless inning streak to 23.0 frames. At the plate, she batted .533 with a double, home run, 10 RBI, six runs scored and five walks. Haeger chalked up four multi-RBI and three multi-hit contests.

Shelby Turnier

Turnier played a big role as the No. 19 Knights went 4-0 last week and made their first appearance as a program in the national rankings. The junior right-hander twirled a pair of shutouts against No. 18 Missouri and then-No. 13 Minnesota and earned a complete-game road win at South Carolina (RV). The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. native finished the week 3-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 21 innings of work to earn her American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors. She capped off the weekend with a season-best 12 strikeouts against the Gophers to help UCF improve to 8-0 and get off to its best start in program history.

Player of the Week
Feb. 17 – Lauren Haeger (Florida)
Feb. 10 – Lindsey Stephens (Texas)

Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 17 – Shelby Turnier (UCF)
Feb. 10 – Miranda Kramer (Western Kentucky)

Selected Top Performances

• San Jose State’s Jessie Hufstetler earned Mountain West Player of the Week Honors after batting .625 (10-16) with four home runs and 16 RBI..
• SEC Player of the Week, Haylie McCleney posted a .571 (12-21) average with four doubles, 11 runs, 11 RBI and four multi-hit games…
• Garbrielle Maruice of California batted .733 (.11-15) with 10 RBI, seven runs and six walks to earn Pac 12 Player of the Week plaudits…
• Akron’s Erin Seiler, the MAC Pitcher of the Week, went 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 26 innings keying the Zips to a Jacksonville Invitational title…
• Lauren Chamberlain of Oklahoma hit .533 (8-15) with three home runs, nine RBI, seven runs and five walks, while slugging 1.133 and posted a .650 OBP…
• Auburn’s Branndi Melero hit three home runs, knocked in 12 run, scored seven times while batting .500 (8-16)…
• Conference USA Player of the Week, Morgan Zerkle of Marshall hit .765 (13-17) with an inside the park home run, eight stolen bases and a .778 OBP…
• South Carolina’s Alayna Page hit four home runs, doubled twice, knocked in 11 and batted .526 last week for the Gamecocks…
• Michigan’s Megan Betsa went 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a save, posting a complete game win (2H, 1R) and earning a save against then No. 6 Florida State to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors…
• Katie Kelley of UMKC was named WAC Pitcher of the Week following a 2-0 week in the circle in which she did not allow an earned run, struck out 9 and held opponents to a .095 batting average…
• Texas’ Holly Kern batted .438 with a 3 doubles, a home run and 15 RBI… Delaware’s Jessica Grisler was named CAA Player of the Week after batting .600 (12-20) with a home run, eight runs scored and a .636 on base percentage…
• SEC Freshman of the Week, LSU’s Allie Walljasper, was 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA 10 strikeouts, zero walks and one save…
• Samford’s Caitlin Bice clubbed four home runs, knocked in nine, batted .500 (5-for-10) and scored five times to earn Southern Conference Player of the Week honors…
• Big 10 Co-Player of the Week, Ashley Burkhardt of Purdue, batted .588 (10-17) with four home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs scored…
• Louisiana Lafayette’s Jordan Wallace did not allow a run as she went 3-0 with a save, tossed a no-hitter (16K) and finished the week with 46 strikeouts in 24 innings to garner Sunbelt Player of the Week accolades…
• Missouri Valley Player of the Week Regan Romshek of Illinois State batted .600 (9-16) with six extra base hits (4 2B, 2 HR) and scored six runs…
• CAA Co-Pitcher of the Week, Delaware’s Caroliyn Szymanski went 3-0 with a 0.88 ERA in her three starts of the season…
• Kansas’ Maddie Stein batted .533 (8-15) with five doubles, a grand slam, 10 RBI and five walks…
• Alicia Pille of Kansas was 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA and 16 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .169 average in 18 innings…
• Auburn’s Carlee Wallace hits four home runs, knocked in eight and scored five times, while batting .556 (5-9) and posting a .600 OBP…
• USC Upstate’s Cheyenne Griffin was selected Atlantic Sun Player of the Week and co-MVP of Upstate Classic after hitting .571 (7-13) and slugging 1.231

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Lauren Haeger earns USA Softball Collegiate POW

After pitching the No. 1 team in the nation to three wins at home, Florida’s Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) has earned her first USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week accolades the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball announced today.  Whether at the plate or from the circle, the senior helped her squad in every facet of the game this past week, pitching 15 shutout innings while also knocking in 10 RBI to help the Gators to a 6-0 performance during Week 2 of the NCAA Softball season.

“We’ve been working really hard on making good pitches, quality pitches,” said Haeger.  “No matter what the strike zone is, no matter who’s batting.  Every pitch is quality and that’s always been an emphasis for us.  We’ve just been hitting our spots really well.”

Haeger started the week off on a high note, tossing three scoreless innings in a 16-1 (five inning) win at Jacksonville where she issued six strikeouts to the Dolphins’ offense.  In her next appearance in the circle, Haeger went the distance for the Gators in an 8-0 (five inning) win over Iowa while striking out eight batters.

In their final game of the weekend against NC State, a team who has received voted in every poll this season, Haeger continued upon her success in a 3-0, shutout win where she retired 10 batters via strikeout.  Through three games, Haeger racked up 24 strikeouts, representing more than half of the 45 outs she recorded when in the circle.

Not only did Haeger shine from the circle, she also proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the plate, driving in 10 runs while hitting .533 (8-for-15) with a double, a home run and six runs scored for the week.

For the season, Haeger moves to 5-0 and is riding a 23-inning scoreless streak to start her senior campaign.  This marks the first time an athlete from Florida has garnered USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors since Week 7 of the 2012 season when Team USA veteran Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned the accolades.

Florida will host the Aquafina Invitational next weekend at home, where the Gators will face Kansas, Liberty University, Illinois State and Mercer.

2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 5-8): Taylor Schoblocher – North Texas – Junior – Utility – Forney, Texas
Week 2 (Feb. 9-15): Lauren Haeger – Florida – Senior – Pitcher/1B – Peoria, Ariz.