Keller’s perfect week leads to USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors

May 13, 2014

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Keller’s perfect week leads to USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors

 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Louisville Senior infielder Katie Keller (Livermore, Calif.) went a perfect 5-for-5 from the plate for a 1.000 batting average with six runs, six RBI and three homers to lead her Cardinals to the American Athletic Conference title. For her efforts Keller was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as well as the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week as announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and USA Softball.

 

“I am very grateful for this honor,” said Keller. “ I just went out there and tried to do my best for my team and I am just so proud that we won our conference championship and will be playing the NCAA tournament this weekend. I’m fortunate to be playing the game I love with my teammates and coaches.”

 

In their first game of the tournament, Keller went two-for-two from the plate with two runs including an RBI on a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning that propelled Louisville to a 5-3 win over Temple.

 

The Cardinal were then pitted against South Florida for the semifinals and Keller’s streak continued as she went one-for-one with a full-count grand slam in the second inning. The Senior finished the game with two runs and four RBI as Louisville run ruled the Bulls 8-0 in six innings earning them a spot in the conference tournament finals.

 

Facing UCF, Keller’s dominance extended for a third game. The California native gave Louisville an early lead when she led off the second inning by taking a full-count pitch over the right field fence for her sixth home run of the season. She finished the contest two-for-two from the plate with a homer, a triple and two runs scored guiding the Cardinals to the 3-2 win and AAC title.

 

“This is a well-deserved honor for Katie,” said Louisville Head Coach Sandy Pearsall.  “She had a great weekend and was impressive both offensively and defensively. She definitely set the tone for our team and played a huge role in winning the conference championship.”

 

Keller finished the regular season with a .402 batting average, .665 slugging clip, and .515 on-base percentage. This is the second USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Katie with her first coming in week four of the 2013 season. Louisville will begin NCAA Tournament action in the Tucson Regional on Friday.

 

2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 6-9): Kylee Lahners - Washington - Junior - Infielder– Laguna Hills, Calif.

Week 2 (Feb. 10 -16): Aimee Creger - Tulsa - Senior - Pitcher– Yukon, Okla.

Week 3 (Feb. 17-23): Ally Carda – UCLA – Junior – Pitcher – Elk Grove, Calif.

Week 4 (Feb. 24 – March 2): Cheridan Hawkins – Oregon – Sophomore – Anderson, Calif.

Week 5 (March 3-9): Dallas Escobedo - Arizona State - Senior - Pitcher– Glendale, Ariz.

Week 6 (March 10-16): Alex Hugo – Georgia – Sophomore – Infielder – Olathe, Kan.

Week 7 (March 17-23): Jaclyn Traina – Alabama – Senior – Pitcher – Naples, Fla.

Week 8 (March 24 – 30): Ellen Renfroe – Tennessee – Senior – Pitcher – Jackson, Tenn.

Week 9 (March 31 – April 6): Katiyana Mauga – Arizona – Freshman – Outfielder – San Diego, Calif.

Week 10 (April 7 – 13): Michelle Mueller – Wisconsin – Senior – Third Base – LaCrosse, Wis.

Week 11 (April 14 – 20): Meredith Owen – Stetson – Senior – Pitcher – Jackson, Miss.

Week 12 (April 21 – 27): Tori Finucane – Missouri – Freshman – Pitcher – Germantown, Md.

Week 13 (April 28 – May 4): Kelsey Stevens – Oklahoma – Sophomore – Pitcher – Albuquerque, N.M.

Week 14 (May 5 – 11): Katie Keller – Louisville – Senior – Infielder – Livermore, Calif.

 

About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.

About USA Softball 
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.  

 

About the NCAA Women’s College World Series 
The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 24^th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and complete for a National Championship title. Last year, over 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Experience It Live May 29 to June 4 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2014 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and make a date with champions!

 

 

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Steven Embree | ASA/USA Softball

Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
2801 NE 50th | Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Work: 405-425-3422 | Cell: 405-207-1004
E-mail: sembree@softball.org | Web: www.USASoftball.com