MADISON, S.D. -- The Bellevue University softball team has swept the North Star Athletic Association's weekly awards program. Freshman Hannah Carter was named the NSAA Player of the Week and senior Kelli Fisher took home NSAA Pitcher of the Week honors.
Fisher became Bellevue's all-time wins leader this past week as she notched her 78th career victory in a 3-2 win over Dakota State on Sunday afternoon. That was all part of another dominant week in the circle for Fisher who earned victories in each of her four appearances. Over the course of 22.1 innings of work Fisher posted an ERA of 1.88 while racking up 19 strikeouts and issuing just a pair of walks. She posted a tidy WHIP of 1.03 and allowed one hit or fewer per inning in three of her four appearances.
This is Fisher's fifth career conference Pitcher of the Week award and the second of the 2017 season with the other coming back on March 13. She is now 19-3 in the circle with a 0.92 ERA and 122 strikeouts over 137.0 innings of work.
Carter played a crucial role in helping Bellevue extend their winning streak to 14 games as she slashed a mercurial .625/.640/.958 on the week. The speedy table-setter reached safely in all six games on the week and registered multiple hits in five of six contests. Serving as the Bruins' leadoff hitter, Carter swiped a pair of bases, scored eight runs, and picked up eight RBI. She totaled four extra-base hits on the week with a double, a pair of triples, and her third home run in the series finale against Dakota State. Her five-hit game against Midland was the first of the year for any BU player and was a fine start to her current six-game hit streak.
This is the first time in Carter's career that she has been named the NSAA Player of the Week. For the season she is batting .410/.459/.615 with 13 extra-base hits, 26 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and 35 runs scored from the leadoff spot.
Bellevue has won 14-straight games dating back to a March 26 win over Presentation. BU now stands at 33-8 on the season and sport a 12-2 mark in NSAA play, a half game up on second place Jamestown. The Bruins – who are receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll – return to the diamond at 4 p.m. on Wednesday when they host Hastings College for a non-conference double-header.
