March 19, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Batting at a .533 clip last week and helping the No. 17 Illinois State softball team to a 4-1 record over Loyola and Northern Iowa, sophomore utility player Jessie Buker has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The award is the first for Buker's career at ISU and is also the first time this season a Redbird has been recognized by the conference as the player of the week.
The honor marks the third time in as many weeks that Illinois State players have been recognized by the league. Senior pitcher Shannon Nicholson earned the Valley Pitcher of the Week Award on March 5, while Stacy Birk was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on March 12.
Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer spoke of the consistent play and versatility Buker provides to the roster.
"Jessie has stepped up big for us in a lot of games this season," said Fischer. "We have really seen her improve a lot from last season and she has made some great strides from on offensive standpoint. Jessie has been having such consistent bats and is hitting the ball hard. Her pitch selection has been much better and is allowing her to do great things up there. She is also our most versatile player and is capable of playing any position on the field. This allows us to create competition in training and do some different things in our lineup."
A consistent force in the Illinois State offensive lineup, Buker batted .533 on the week, pounding nine hits in 17 at bats. The sophomore started all five games, smacking three doubles and a pair of home runs. Her eight RBI, 18 total bases, and 1.059 slugging percentage led the squad to a split with Loyola and a three-game sweep of the Panthers. Buker hit one home run in ISU's game two win on Saturday, a three-run bomb in the bottom of the fourth that put the `Birds up, 9-4. In Sunday's victory, Buker smacked a two-run homer to center field in the third inning that secured a 4-0 lead over UNI.
On defense, the Macon, Ill., native played both left field and first base for Illinois State, tallying 17 putouts, an assist and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Buker and the entire Redbird lineup will continue a seven-game homestand on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. game against in-state rival Illinois at Redbird Softball Complex.
