Teams across the country are gearing up for their final regular-season tuneup this weekend; with conference tournaments on the horizon next week, for the leagues that sponsor them, this is one last opportunity for teams to make tweaks and adjustments before the postseason.
While most teams will finish their conference slates, there are a number of teams that also step out of conference for week thirteen. Let’s take a look at some players who could be an X-factor for their teams this week.
Karli Hamilton, Texas Tech
>>> The spark plug to the Texas Tech offensive attack that includes the continually-unheralded Jessica Hartwell, Hamilton is even more of an unknown by general softball fans, despite being an integral part of the Red Raiders’ batting order. Hamilton leads the squad with a .433 batting average, more than seventy points ahead of her nearest teammate, and boasts twenty-three extra base hits on the year, including a team-leading six triples. Hamilton and Co. will host Kentucky for a pair of non-conference games this weekend, and a series split or sweep would pay dividends for the Red Raiders.
Kaitlin BeasleyPolko, Coastal Carolina
>>> Despite her team being swept by conference powerhouse Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, BeasleyPolko performed well in limiting the high-powered Ragin’ Cajuns’ offense in a pair of appearances. Pitching a pair of complete games, BeasleyPolko went 0-2, but held the Cajuns to just eight runs on fourteen hits in twelve innings of work. This weekend, as her team takes on Appalachian State in a direct battle for positioning in the Sun Belt conference tournament, the Chanticleers will need more of that same effectiveness as they seek to jump up a spot before the field is set in stone for the league tournament.
Shelbi Sunseri, LSU
>>> One of the year’s biggest breakout stars, Sunseri has become an invaluable – and dangerous – part of the Tigers’ batting order. Still just a sophomore, she ranks third on the team with a .380 batting average, and leads the team in RBI and total bases, coming in second on the squad in doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, and walks. As the Tigers take on their archrivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide, with the SEC regular-season championship at stake, the Tigers will need Sunseri’s bat to come through in the clutch, and against some top-level pitching. She’s done it already this season, but will need to deliver in a high-pressure situation.
Ali Dubois, Boston
>>> Dubois and her Boston Terriers will face off against Bucknell this weekend in a three-game set that will determine the Patriot League champions – and, per conference rules, who will host the conference tournament. Dubois has been of exceptional quality for the Terriers in her sophomore season, boasting a 1.44 ERA and 21 wins in 180 innings of work thus-far this year. She owns 177 strikeouts on the season, with a strikeout-walk ratio better than 4/1. As they seek to clinch the conference title, the Terriers will surely rely heavily on their ace this weekend.
Brooke Yanez, UC Davis
>>> One of the nation’s best hurlers this season, Yanez owns a 0.97 ERA and a 23-5 record on the season, with more than 172 innings of work on the season. She has allowed just eighteen extra base hits this year and held opponents to a .179 batting average. Yanez’s Aggies are set to face off against Long Beach State this weekend, and Yanez will have to control the 49ers’ offense that is capable of striking, swiftly and resoundly, at a moment’s notice. A potential all-American after the season, Yanez has led her team to the highest win total in the conference and looks to set her team up for a postseason berth, in the NISC tournament if not to the NCAA field of 64 via a conference title.
Sydney Pennington, Oklahoma State
>>> An all-Freshman selection in 2018, Pennington ranks third on the Cowgirls’ roster this season with nine home runs, but her .267 batting average is just eighth on the roster. She has started each of her team’s games this season, making seven field errors, but owns seventeen extra base hits and a .514 slugging percentage. As they face off with their archrival Oklahoma Sooners with the Big 12 regular-season title on the line, the Cowgirls are going to need stellar showings from 1-9 in the lineup, and Pennington is an undoubted part of that equation.
