BURNSVILLE, MINN. – After hitting .444 with five home runs over the last six games, University of Sioux Falls Softball senior
Emily Miller was awarded the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week honors announced earlier today (April 16). This is Miller's first career NSIC Player of the Week honor and is the third USF player to receive the award this season.
A senior infielder from Aberdeen, Minn., Miller logged a .444 batting average over the six-game span going eight-for-18 as USF won five of six contests. Miller blasted five homeruns, drove in eight runs, scored seven times and drew four walks. Miller posted an on-base percentage of .522 and a slugging percentage of 1.278. In addition, Miller led the NSIC in homeruns (five) and total bases (23) this past week
Highlight Miller's performance was a three home run series against Northern State, where she hit a walk off two-run HR in the bottom of the 10th inning as well as a solo shot to left center field in the bottom of the eighth to keep the Cougars alive. Miller played a pivotal role as USF swept NSU on Monday (April 15) at the Presentation Dome in Aberdeen, Miller's hometown. With a two-homerun game against NSU, she tied a school game record which has been done 17 times by eight different players.
Miller joins
Emily Hove and
Courtney Mathews as USF Softball players to earn the NSIC weekly honor this year – Hove was awarded Player of the Week on March 18 and Mathews was named Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 5, becoming the third to receive the pitcher of the week distinction in school history. Overall, USF has had seven different players earn player of the week honors since joining the NSIC in 2012-13. They include position players
Lindsey Mossman and Brooke Stetzler, who earned players of the week honors in 2017 and 2016, respectively, while Alyson Netty and Amanda Walters were NSIC pitchers of the week in 2015 and 2014, respectively.
USF will open up a six game road trip with a doubleheader against No. 11 Augustana later today (April 16) beginning at 3 p.m., before traveling to Minot State (April 19 at 2/4 p.m.) and University of Mary (April 20 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.).
