LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For their outstanding performances during games occurring over May 6-12,
Steph Thomas of
Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.),
Morgan Stratton of
Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) High School,
Kayla Harris of
Greenbrier Christian Academy (Chesapeake, Va.),
Cassidy Kelsheimer of
Chase County (Cottonwood Falls, Kan.) High School and
Miranda Beach of
Homer (Homer, Alaska) High School have been selected as the MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Players of the Week.
EAST REGION: A junior pitcher/outfielder for the Eagles, Thomas was a perfect 4-0 from the circle with a 0.00 ERA, a no-hitter and 39 strikeouts over 24 innings of work while also hitting .357 with three runs scored, a double and two RBIs. She struck out a season high 14 batters in a no-hit, 7-0 victory over Hackensack (N.J.) and K'ed 11 in a 2-0, one-hit blanking of Rutherford (N.J.). For the year, Thomas boasts a 19-1 record with a 0.41 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 120 innings of work. She also owns a .358 batting average with three doubles, 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs.
NORTH REGION: A senior pitcher/catcher for the Bobcats, Stratton posted a flawless 5-0 mark from the circle with a 0.22 ERA and 34 K's over 32 frames, while also batting .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles, two runs scored, a triple and two RBIs. She recorded three shutouts over her five complete game efforts and struck out 10 during wins over Kettering (Mich.) and Powers Catholic (Mich.). For the season Stratton is 11-2 overall with a 0.93 ERA and 113 K's over 98.1 innings, while also hitting .395 with seven RBIs.
SOUTH REGION: A junior pitcher for the Gators, Harris tallied a 4-0 mark from the circle with a 0.00 ERA, allowing only three total hits for the week with four shutouts and 41 strikeouts over 22 innings, while also hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a double and three RBIs. Included among her impressive efforts was a no-hitter with 12 K's in a 10-0 triumph over Peninsula Catholic (Va.) and a 15-K effort during a 3-0 victory over Nansemond-Suffolk Academy (Va.). For the year, Harris boasts a flawless 23-0 record with a 0.63 ERA and an impressive 261 strikeouts over just 134 innings of work. At the dish she's hitting .479 with nine HR's and 50 RBIs.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION: A sophomore catcher/third baseman for the Bulldogs, Kelsheimer batted .571 (8-for-14) with six runs scored, a double, four triples and an impressive 11 RBIs over just four contests for 20-0 Chase County H.S. She registered at least one hit in each contest with her finest effort, a 3-for-3 performance with two triples and four RBIs, coming in a 12-0 rout of Moundridge (Kan.). She hitting a staggering .567 on the year with 33 runs scored, four doubles, 12 triples, two HR's and 34 RBIs.
WEST REGION: A senior second baseman for the Mariners, Beach recorded a .667 (12-for-18) batting mark for the week with nine runs scored, a double, a triple, a HR and a staggering 13 RBIs over five match-ups. She hit safely in each contest with her most impressive effort coming in a 10-2 victory over Wasilla (Alaska) as Beach was a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish with two runs, a triple, a HR and six RBIs. She's batting .600 thus far over 11 contests with 12 tallies, two two-baggers, a pair of triples, a HR and 22 RBIs.
MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete's game stats into MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week's award.
The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week will be announced on NFCA.org every Monday during the spring season, with one representative chosen from each of five separate high school regions. During the fall campaign, just a single player will be selected representing all participating regions.
MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics web sites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team's stats on Max Preps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team's information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country.
To obtain a coach's login, please contact: kmccauley@maxpreps.com or call (800) 329-7324 x 5153.
