INDIANAPOLIS – A few teams were able to squeeze in their season openers as the first set of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Players of the Week were announced on Tuesday morning.
After Findlay earned a pair of victories to kick off the Great Midwest spring, defending tourney champ and preseason coaches poll favorite Kentucky Wesleyan, Ohio Dominican and Trevecca, celebrated their opening day in warmer weather.
Player of the Week
Taylor Kline
Ohio Dominican
Shortstop
Senior
Bellville, OH (Clear Fork HS)
Recently named to the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) DII Player of the Year Watch List for the third straight time, Kline officially put Great Midwest pitchers on notice with some noise in her first four games of the year.
The sweet-hitting shortstop pounded out seven hits in 15 at-bats against Miles, Truman State, Alabama-Huntsville and Shorter. She scored seven runs, had four RBI and stole four bases in as many games.
The Panthers went 1-3 in their season-opening weekend at the Charger Chillout 2.0 in Alabama.
Kline recorded one stolen base in each contest and after finishing 12th in the nation last season in steals, is picking up right where she left off.
In ODU’s 16-5 win against Miles, Kline enjoyed a 4-for-5 effort at the plate with four runs and a pair of RBI. In the final game of the tournament vs. Shorter, she recorded her first extra-base hit with a triple and sported a 2-for-4 line at the dish with two more runs and two runs plated.
She singled and scored against UAH and also crossed the plate once in regional play against NCAA qualifier Truman State.
Kline was an NFCA First Team All-Midwest Region selection in 2017 and is a three-time All-GLIAC first-team honoree. She was also the GLIAC Freshman of the Year as a rookie in 2015.
Pitcher of the Week
Morgan Powell
Trevecca
Right-Handed Pitcher
Junior
Mt. Juliet, TN (Wilson Central HS)
Powell earned her second career weekly conference honors (Feb. 2016) with a strong start to the season in the circle for the Trojans.
TNU was another participant in the Charger Chillout 2.0 hosted by Alabama-Huntsville and played four programs all from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Powell dazzled in her first start of the spring, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning against regional opponent UIndy. Despite a tough finish that included two defensive miscues to aid a Greyhounds walk-off rally, the junior fanned seven in 6.1 innings.
Both runs scored against her were unearned as she was tagged with a tough-luck loss.
She also started the next day against Southern Indiana and logged 2.1 innings against Missouri-St. Louis, racking up a combined seven more strikeouts.
In three appearances with a complete game, Powell turned in a 2.80 ERA with 14 punchouts in 15 frames. She held opponents to just a .154 batting average.