April 18, 2007

NAIA Softball Player of the Week
Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) centerfielder Andrea Helenthal is this week's NAIA National Softball Player of the Week after helping SCAD to four wins in which she went 8-of-12 at the plate with six runs scored and four extra-base hits, including three doubles.

Helenthal's week began with a 3-for-4 opener against Edward Waters (Fla.), scoring twice and driving in four on a single and a pair of doubles. She also stole a base in the opening game of the two-game set with EWC. The Bees won the opener 20-0.

In game two, Helenthal went 3-for-3, pushing three baserunners across the plate and scoring three runs. She also walked in one plate appearance and hit her only home run of the week in the 16-0 SCAD triumph.

Savannah Art & Design then moved into a double-header with Webber International, winning game one 8-4 behind a 1-for-2, three-RBI outing from Helenthal. In game two, Helenthal helped SCAD to a 6-0 win by going 1-for-3 with a run scored and her second stolen base of the week.

In four games, Helenthal finished with a .667 batting average and a slugging percentage of 1.167, piling up 10 RBIs on eight base hits.

Other nominees this week included: Erika Vargas, Houston Baptist (Texas); Beth McFarland, Spalding (Ky.); Amanda Doherty, Oregon Tech; Teresa Christ, Waldorf (Iowa); Ashley Windmiller, William Woods (Mo.); Jenna Jurrens, Morningside (Iowa); Ashley Aspinall, Aquinas (Mich.); Ashley McCool, Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.); Bobbi Easler, Lee (Tenn.); Stephanie Orr, Tiffin (Ohio); Sarah Walck, Bellevue (Neb.); Amerra Kesterson, Biola (Calif.).

NAIA Softball Pitcher of the Week Sarah Driver, Union (Ky.).

NAIA Softball Pitcher of the Week
Union (Ky.) freshman pitcher Sarah Driver is this week's NAIA National Softball Pitcher of the Week after making four appearances last week, posting a 3-1 record that included the first perfect game in Bulldog softball history.

Driver pitched all five innings in a 13-0 win over Alice Lloyd (Ky.), fanning 10 and facing the minimum in the run-rule win. Driver also tossed three innings of relief in game two of the twinbill, striking out seven while allowing no runs and no hits with no walks while fanning all but two of the nine Alice Lloyd batters faced in the game.

Driver went on to allow two runs (one earned) on five hits in the opening game of a double-header split with Milligan (Tenn.), earning the win and going the distance in the 5-2 Bulldog win. Driver pitched five innings in game two, as Union fell 5-4, leaving the only blemish on the freshman's four-game record for the week.

During the four-game stretch, Driver became the first Bulldog pitcher to post 200 strike outs in a season, striking out 30 on the week to push her mark this season to 201. Driver is now 17-7 on the season after going on a streak last week that included 10.1 perfect innings and 31-straight retired batters.

Driver surrendered five runs on the week, three of which were earned while allowing nine hits and walking seven.

Other nominees included: Katie McMahon, Columbia (Mo.); Katie Zillner, Albertson (Idaho); Marisa Jensen, Waldorf (Iowa); Dasha Shembereva, Oklahoma City; Shannon Noder, Madonna (Mich.); Brittiany Johnson, Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.); Sarah Hutson, Ohio Dominican; Jen Miller, Bellevue (Neb.); Leigh Baker, Reinhardt (Ga.); Katie Gustaveson, Biola (Calif.); Megan McHugh, Northwestern (Iowa); Eryn Shaw, Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.).