Cielo Meza of St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) was named MaxPreps/NFCA Player of the Week for the West Region after allowing just one hit and striking out 37 in two complete-game shutouts.
Photo by Heston Quan
– Junior
Katie Koshes of
Amity Regional (Woodbridge, Conn.), senior
Maddie Damon of
Kasson-Mantorville (Kasson, Minn.), senior
Rachel Douglas of
Rappahannock (Warsaw, Va.), senior
Megan Hensley of
Ashland Blazer (Ashland, Ky.) and senior
Cielo Meza of
St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) were selected MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Players of the Week, respectively, announced on Monday for games played May 25-May 31.
EastKoshes went 3-0, did not allow a run and held her opponents to a .100 batting average in the circle last week for the Spartans. She twirled three complete-game shutouts, surrendered eight hits, struck out 22 and walked three in 21 innings of work. In a one-hitter against Lauralton, Koshes struck out a week-best 15 and walked one in a 3-0 win. She also tossed a two-hit shutout with seven punchouts during a 3-0 triumph versus Cheshire. The junior hurler opened the week with 14-strikeouts in a four-hit win against Mercy.
See all MaxPreps softball photo galleries from around the country.NorthDamon guided Kasson-Mantorville to a 4-0 week in the circle and at the plate. The senior hurler was 4-0, did not allow a run and struck out 46 in 25 innings. She capped off her stellar week in the circle with back-to-back four-hit shutouts against Zumbrota-Mazeppa in 2-0 and 1-0 victories. She struck out 11 with zero walks in the opener and followed with 10 more punchouts and one walk in the nightcap. Against Caldonia/Spring Grove, Damon sat down 16, surrendered three hits and did not walk a batter. At the dish, she was 8-for-10, recording four two-hit contests with three doubles a home run and five runs scored. She doubled and scored the game-winning run in game two versus Zumbrota-Mazeppa, while going 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two RBI and two runs against Caldonia/Spring Grove.
SouthDouglas powered the Raiders at the plate last week, batting .500 with two doubles, a home run, eight RBI and five runs scored. The outfielder/second baseman went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in a victory over Lancaster. She added a double and three RBI versus Colonial Beach and concluded the week 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI against Essex.
See various state high school softball playoff brackets from around the country.South CentralHensley was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 39 strikeouts. She twirled a five-inning no-hitter in her first start of the week against West Carter. In that contest, she struck out 11 and did not walk a batter, while adding two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in a 12-0 win. Hensley struck out 15 more, walked three and scattered six hits in a 7-0 blanking of Raceland. She closed out the week with a six-hit complete game effort in a 2-1 victory over Boyd County. The senior fanned 13 and did not walk a batter.
WestMeza allowed just one hit, struck out 37 and did not walk a batter in two complete-game shutouts last week for St. Bonaventure. The senior fanned 19 of 21 batters in a no-hitter, her second in three starts, against Sierra Vista. Meza also tossed a one-hit shutout with 18 punchouts in an 8-0 victory over Lompac and finished the week facing just batter over the minimum and held her opponents to a .023 batting average in 14 innings.
See all California high school softball playoff brackets.About MaxPreps and the NFCAMaxPreps, 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 by Sunday evening to be eligible that week.
The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week are announced on NFCA 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 is 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 websites 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 and college coaches across the country.
To obtain a coach's login, please contact kwagner@maxpreps.com or call 1-800-329-7324 x5153.
NFCA Purpose: To support fastpitch softball coaches in their quest for excellence, while uniting together to advance the sport we love. #NFCAallin
