LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Ama Biney and Texas-Tyler’s Alaina Kissinger have been selected as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Biney, a sophomore center fielder from Worcester, Mass., batted .645 (20-for-31) with 16 runs, four doubles, two triples, two homers and seven RBI in an 8-2 start for the Engineers. The Holy Name High graduate drew four walks and struck out only twice, while collecting nine stolen bases.
She was also flawless in the field, successfully handling all 16 of her chances, including throwing a runner out at home plate to keep a game against St. Joseph’s (Maine) tied in the sixth. She actually met the team at the airport to depart for their spring trip after playing for the Engineers’ women’s basketball team in the NCAA tournament that same day.
Meanwhile, junior right-hander Kissinger joins her Patriot teammate Kelsie Batten as a Pitcher of the Week honoree following an All-Tournament team performance at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic over the weekend. The Sam Rayburn High product went 3-0 with eight hits allowed and 14 strikeouts over her 17 innings, as top-ranked Texas-Tyler (17-2) went 6-0 against an elite 24-team tournament field to capture the gold bracket title.
Kissinger fanned six in a win over Illinois Wesleyan, four more against Oneonta and tossed a five-hit shutout (five strikeouts) against Trine in the championship game. Neither she nor teammates Batten and Jaiden Rawls allowed a run in 38 innings at the event.
Other Selected Top Performances
Hendrix senior third baseman Shelby Anderson batted .800 (8-for-10) with eight runs, three doubles, a triple, two homers and six RBI in a three-game sweep of Sewanee. She hit for the cycle in the second game of the series. … Gwynedd Mercy sophomore outfielder Jessica Behr was 9-for-19 (.463) with four runs, a double, triple, homer, four walks, seven RBI and two steals. … Meredith sophomore third baseman Brittany Bucklin hit .500 (12-for-24) with nine runs, five doubles, two homers, six walks and 10 RBI. … Thiel sophomore shortstop A.J. Corradi was 11-for-23 (with three runs, four doubles and five RBI over eight games. … Penn State Berks freshman pitcher Becca Faust was 2-0 for the week with a 0.58 ERA, two complete games, four hits, one walk, one earned run and five strikeouts over 12 innings of work. She tossed a five-inning, one-hit shutout of Regis (Mass.) and a three-hitter versus Hilbert. … Manhattanville sophomore right-hander Alycia Feeney went 4-0 in an 8-0 week for the Valiants, fashioning a 1.75 ERA, with seven earned runs and 25 strikeouts over 28 innings. She had a two-hit shutout of Waynesburg and fanned 12 against Haverford. … Franklin junior infielder Jeana Gregory batted .800 (4-for-5) with a run, double, walk and two RBI in a doubleheader split with DePauw. … Manhattanville freshman first baseman Aarin Hartenstein was 15-for-29 (.517) with seven runs, seven doubles, a triple, homer and 15 RBI in an 8-0 week for the Valiants. She had at least one RBI in every game and five multi-RBI contests, and also earned her first win in the circle. … Salisbury senior first baseman Paige Knussman batted .435 (10-for-23) with five runs, three doubles, three homers (including a game-winning grand slam versus Lynchburg) and 11 RBI. … Lycoming junior infielder Morgan Kunes was 13-for-23 (.565) with seven straight hits to start the season, eight runs, four doubles, a homer and seven RBI. … Penn State Abington junior shortstop Brenna Lineman hit .462 (6-for-13) with six runs, a triple, homer, two walks, two steals and eight RBI. She had two hits in three separate contests and hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a five-RBI game in a win over St. Joseph’s (L.I.). … Gwynedd Mercy freshman righty Alyssa Morales went 3-1 with two complete games (one shutout) and 11 strikeouts over 24 innings. … East Texas Baptist junior designated player Jayme Perez earned a spot on the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team by going 6-for-17 (.353) with six runs, two doubles, two homers and seven RBI and posting two multi-hit games. … Widener junior right-hander Alexis Schengrund had a 0.32 ERA in a 3-0 week, which included two shutouts, one earned run and 28 strikeouts over 22 innings. She had seven strikeouts and walked none in a three-hit shutout of Central. … Rowan senior shortstop Shilah Snead hit .571 (12-for-21) with 10 runs, four doubles, six steals and four RBI. … Wittenberg sophomore righty Chelsea Zang went 5-0 for the week with shutouts of Moravian and Bethel. She compiled a 1.20 ERA with six earned runs, four walks and 20 strikeouts over 35 innings.
The Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Week are selected by Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions.
2016 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week
March 16 — Ama Biney, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, So., CF, Worcester, Mass.
March 9 — Jessica Long, Averett, Jr., SS, Prospect Hill, N.C.
March 2 — Cassetty Howerin, Virginia Wesleyan, So., 1B, Dover, Del.
2016 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week
March 16 — Alaina Kissinger, Texas-Tyler, Jr., RHP, Telephone, Texas.
March 9 — Lindsey Thayer, St. John Fisher, So., RHP, Winthrop, N.Y.
March 2 — Kelsie Batten, Texas-Tyler, Sr., RHP, Huntington, Texas.