Merchant Tabbed NFCA National Player of the Week
4/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Already the all-time University of Michigan softball leader in home runs for a career and single season, All-America shortstop Jessica Merchant (Wayland, Mich./Wayland HS) became just the fourth player in Michigan lore to earn Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week recognition as announced today (Wednesday, April 13) by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
| | Merchant |
The only other Michigan players distinguished as the National Player of the Week were Traci Conrad (1996-99), Sara Griffin (1995-98) and Marissa Young (2000-03). Conrad was honored in 1998, while Young earned the award in 2003. Griffin earned the accolade on four different occasions, once in each of her four seasons wearing the Maize and Blue.
This past week Merchant hit .500 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.100 while leading the No. 1 Wolverines to a 5-1 mark, including a perfect 4-0 weekend in Big Ten Conference action. The senior co-captain closed out the week by going 3-3 with four RBI and hitting her team-leading 15th home run of the season in an 11-0 win over Minnesota to complete a doubleheader sweep on Sunday (April 10). The 15th home run of the season for Merchant matched the single-season Michigan record, which she set herself just one year ago.
She also posted three hits, including her second two-home run game of the season, and five RBI in a 7-3 win over Central Michigan on Wednesday (April 6). She hit safely in five of the six games for the week, including a 2-4 effort with a home run and four RBI in an 8-0 win over Wisconsin on Saturday (April 9) after driving in one run in a key 3-2 come-from-behind victory the Badgers a day earlier.
Merchant's torrid pace has moved her into the team lead in batting average at .412, which is her highest mark since she was hitting .417 just three games into the season on Feb. 13. She leads the Big Ten in home runs (15), RBI (45) and slugging percentage (.817).
The 2004 Big Ten Player of the Year and All-America second-team shortstop, Merchant is the Michigan career leader in home runs (40) and fourth all-time in RBI (137). She, along with teammates Tiffany Haas (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS) and Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS), were recently named among the 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
Merchant the rest of the top-ranked Michigan softball team return to the diamond on Friday (April 15, 3 p.m. EST/CDT) at Purdue for the first of a two-game set in West Lafayette, Ind.
Contact: Rich Marion (734) 763-4423
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