Four home runs and 10 RBI land Louisiana’s DJ Sanders USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors

April 25, 2017

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OKLAHOMA CITY — After reaching base safely in all but one appearance at the plate over a four-game stretch, Louisiana’s DJ Sanders (Columbus, Miss.) has been named the USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week for Week 11 of play USA Softball announced today.  The junior shortstop had a productive week at the plate, scoring in 13-of-15 plate appearances with each of her five hits resulting in an RBI. 

 

“We have a plan that changes for each pitcher and Coach Mike does a good job preparing us for what’s coming,” Sanders said after Saturday’s performance at the plate. “We spend all week preparing for it, so I’m not up there guessing what the pitcher is going to throw. It just so happens that when I square it, it usually goes out, but it’s only because of the preparation that Coach Mike has put in.”

 

Sanders started her week with a 1-for-2 performance against No. 4 Texas A&M, where she picked up three RBI and scored three times as the Ragin’ Cajuns defeated the Aggies, 11-9.  Sanders then joined her teammates in a three-game series against Georgia State where she continued her strong offensive performance.  In game one of the series, Sanders was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored.  Helping her team to a series-opener run-rule win, the game marked her seventh multi-home run performance this season.  Sanders added a two-run home run in a 1-for-1 outing at the plate in game two of the series.  In the series finale, Sanders was walked in each appearance at the plate while she scored three times.  In the series against Georgia State, Sanders finished with a perfect batting average, going 4-for-4 with three home runs, 10 runs scored and seven RBI. 

 

“She’s very locked in right now,” said Louisiana Head Coach Michael Lotief. “I don’t get to see it because we’re in practice every day and consistently in practice that’s what she does. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary. This is something DJ has been on the brink of doing for the last six months.”

 

On the week, Sanders finished with a .833 (5-for-6) batting average, four home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored and nine walks.  She also compiled a .933 on-base percentage and a staggering 2.833 slugging percentage.  Her home run production on the week increased her nation-leading total to 27, which is the third-most in a single season in Ragin’ Cajun history.

 

This marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for Sanders and the second for an athlete from Louisiana this season as fellow teammate Alyssa Denham earned the honors in Week 2 of play.

 

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 5): Nicole Schroeder – Arkansas – Senior – Outfield – Yorba Linda, Calif.

Week 5 (March 6-12): Alexis Osorio – Alabama – Junior – Pitcher – Riverside, Calif.

Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Braxton Burnside – Missouri – Freshman – Infield – Paragould, Ark.

Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.

Week 7 (March 20-26): Danielle O’Toole – Arizona – Senior – Pitcher – Upland, Calif.

Week 8 (March 27 – April 2): Kaylan Jablonski – Nebraska – Junior – Pitcher – Omaha, Neb.

Week 9 (April 3-9): Rachel Garcia – UCLA – Freshman – Pitcher – Palmdale, Calif.

Co-Week 10 (April 10-16): Kelly Barnhill – Florida – Sophomore – Pitcher – Marietta, Ga.

Co-Week 10 (April 10-16): Caroline Seitz – Mississippi State – Senior – Infield – Birmingham, Ala.

Week 11 (April 17-23): DJ Sanders – Louisiana – Junior – Infield – Columbus, Miss.

 

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 
USA Softball 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!

 

 

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