FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 7, 2017

 

Arkansas’ Nicole Schroeder named USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week

 

OKLAHOMA CITY — After contributing to Arkansas’ undefeated 6-0 week on the diamond, Nicole Schroeder (Yorba Linda, Calif.) has been selected as the Week 4 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, USA Softball announced today. This marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week award for Schroeder and the first for any Arkansas player since USA Softball Player of the Week awards began in 2003.

 

“The individual success has been pretty cool but it’s even better with the team playing so well and with the start we’re off to,” Schroeder said. “It’s been a lot of fun but we know there’s more work to do.”

 

Schroeder began the week on the road by posting a career-high six RBI and knocking a go-ahead grand slam out of the park in the sixth inning to secure Arkansas’ 7-6 win over Oklahoma State, the first in Stillwater since 2001. The grand slam registered as Schroeder’s third multi-homer performance of the season and solidified her in the record books as only the third player in program history to reach 30 career home runs. In the Razorbacks’ home-opening Wooo Pig Classic, the senior outfielder continued her impressive performance by hitting a game-winning, two-run blast against Nebraska before heating up to post her second grand slam of the week in Arkansas’ 11-3 (five-inning) victory over Lamar. The Southern California native, who also claimed SEC Player of the Week accolades, finished the tournament with a solo home run in the team’s 8-1 victory over IUPUI.

 

Following multiple hits in five-of-six outings with at least one RBI in each game, Schroeder hit .632 (12-for-19), including five home runs, 16 RBI, eight runs scored to total a 1.579 slugging percentage for the weekend.

 

“Nicole is playing with so much confidence this season and she’s bringing that confidence to our whole team,” Arkansas Head Coach Courtney Deifel said. “Continuously, you see her stepping up in the big moments, and it just fuels everyone around her. It’s nice to see her at the plate swinging the way she is because we all know what she’s capable of doing for our team. Her work ethic is second to none and she’s so deserving of the success she’s having, especially with it being her senior season.”

 

Arkansas (17-1), who entered the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll for the first time this season, continues their homestand with a doubleheader against UMKC today before opening up conference play against No. 9 Alabama this weekend.

 

2017 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 9-12): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.

Week 2 (Feb. 13-19): Alyssa Denham – Louisiana – Freshman – Pitcher – Alvin, Texas

Week 3 (Feb. 20-26): Mo Mercado – Arizona – Senior – Infield – Temecula, Calif.

Week 4 (Feb. 27-March 7): Nicole Schroeder – Arkansas – Senior – Outfield – Yorba Linda, Calif.

 

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million.  USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch.  USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships.  The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.

 

About the NCAA Women’s College World Series 
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 27^th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 1-7  in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2017 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!

 

Katie Willis I Communications Coordinator

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