Wednesday, April 3, 2019

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An impressive eight-game run last week for Western Washington senior Emily Benson has earned the first baseman selection as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Lousiville Slugger Division II National Player of the Week.

Benson was recognized for a week where she hit .565 in six games, going 13 for 23 with nine runs, 14 RBI, four doubles and five home runs. She led the Vikings to a 7-1 record last week and a 5-0 mark at the Tournament of Champions, which included nearly every Division II softball team in the West Region. It is the first time that a GNAC squad went undefeated in the tournament.

The national honors caps a week where Benson was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week and the most valuable player at the Tournament of Champions. Benson hit .600 in the tournament, going 9 for 15.

Benson opened the week by going 2 for 3 with a pair of home runs on Monday at Simon Fraser and then hit two more homers on Wednesday against Sonoma State. Benson batted .600 in the Tournament of Champions, which included a 3 for 3 performance against Azusa Pacific on Friday and a 5 for 5 game against Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday that included three runs, seven RBI and her 13th home run, which broke the WWU single-season record.

In addition, the homers brought Benson to 44 in her Western Washington career and one short of tying the GNAC career record of 45 set by Jessica Hallmark of Western Oregon from 2008 to 2011.

Benson enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 21st in Division II with a .473 batting average and is fourth nationally with her 1.011 slugging percentage. She also ranks third in Division II with her 13 home runs, fourth with 0.42 home runs per game, fourth in both runs batted in (43) and RBI per game (1.39) and sixth with 94 total bases.

Western Washington will return to GNAC play this weekend with doubleheaders at Saint Martin’s on Saturday and at Central Washington on Sunday.