ST. LOUIS – For their performances this weekend at Arizona State's Littlewood Classic, Illinois State's Emme Olson and Dayna Kennedy have been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday.
Olson boasted a .526 batting average in five starts for the Redbirds this weekend. The sophomore finished the five-game set with a double, triple and home run to go with a team-best seven RBIs. Her two-RBI triple against Boise State helped break an early tie against the Broncos on Friday, before becoming the only Redbird to register multiple hits against the nationally-ranked Sun Devils. Olson's 3-for-5 game against Detroit Mercy matched a career-best performance for the Hartsburg, Illinois, native, as she led the team with five RBIs, including the go-ahead three-RBI home run in ISU's eight-run fifth inning against the Titans. Olson turned in four multi-hit games at the Littlewood Classic and is currently riding a six-game reached base streak and is on a six-game hitting streak.
"Emme (Olson) had a break-out weekend for us," head coach Melinda Fischer expressed. "Emme was, by far, the most consistent player that we had. She's moved to a different position for us from last year, so a lot of things have been going on for her, but I thought she had some key hits. All weekend, it seemed like Emme was seeing the ball well."
Kennedy led the way at the plate for the Redbirds, turning in a team-high .556 batting average, while registering a pair of doubles and an RBI, and drawing three walks in ISU's win over Detroit Mercy. Kennedy provided a key RBI double in the Redbirds' win over Boise State, giving ISU a two-run cushion before the Redbirds took the game, 12-8. In ISU's second game against the Broncos, Kennedy stepped into the game as a pinch hitter, before remaining in as the team's catcher, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate. She is currently riding a six-game reached base streak alongside Olson. Kennedy also turned in a .778 slugging percentage, .692 on-base percentage and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this weekend.
"I'm very excited for Dayna (Kennedy)," Fischer added. "She's been in a catching position for us, a designated player and in the outfield, so she's moved all around, and this weekend with more opportunities, really proved her worth in our lineup. I feel Dayna is really starting to get into her groove in terms of collegiate ball and what she can do, and she was very productive for us this weekend."
ON DECK
Illinois State will return to Florida to participate in Florida Atlantic's "Strike-Out Cancer" Tournament. The Redbirds will face Long Island, Hofstra, North Florida and the tournament host Owls, Feb. 21-23, in Boca Raton. Â
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB) and Instagram (@redbirdsoftball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
