Valley City (VCSU) Valley City State University junior Emily Smith has been named the North Star Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday night.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Pitcher-of-the-Week
Emily Smith – Valley City State (N.D.) – 5’5″ – Junior – Pitcher – Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada – Smith was dominant in No. 11-ranked Valley City State’s conference opener. She threw a complete game 2-hitter in a 5-1 win over Dakota State (S.D.). After giving up an RBI single in the third inning, Smith set down the final 14 batters in order to finish the game. She finished the game with 11 strikeouts and did not issue a walk. It was Smith’s 15th win of the season, which ranks her third in the NAIA. She is second in the NAIA with 129 total strikeouts.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Player-of-the-Week
Claire Shoffit – Dickinson State (N.D.) – 5’10” – Senior – Catcher – Woodland, Calif.– Shoffit batted .750 after going 9-of-12 at the plate as Dickinson State (N.D.) opened up their North Star conference play with a 3-1 record at Waldorf (Iowa). She recorded at least a hit in all four games. She was perfect at the plate, going 3-of-3 in the series opener and 4-of-4 in the series finale. For the week, Shoffit registered a slugging percentage of 1.333 with two doubles and a home run. She collected nine RBIs and reached on base by a walk two times. She scored at least a run in each game, totaling seven runs for the week.
