MIAC Athlete of Week ReleaseWINONA, Minn. — Talk about being a tough out.
Mariah Harper (Schaumburg, Ill.) had 18 at-bats in the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team's eight games during its spring trip last week—and the senior outfielder collected 11 hits for a .611 batting average.
An average that not only sparked the Cardinals to a 7-1 start to the 2016 season, but also earned Harper Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday.
Harper collected at least one hit in each of the team's first seven games, before having her season-opening hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-1, one walk outing against John Carroll last Sunday.
The senior outfielder, who scored at least one run in all eight games, finished the week going 11-for-18 (.661)—including four doubles and a triple—with 10 runs scored and seven RBIs. Harper compiled an astounding .944 slugging percentage, also owned a .667 on-base percentage, induced three walks and stole a base.
The Cardinals (7-1 overall), who closed out their 10-game spring trip with a pair of nonconference games against Rose-Hulman and Neumann on Monday, are right back in action this weekend, squaring off against the University of Dubuque, UW-River Falls, Martin Luther, and Millikin as part of the Luther Tournament at the Rochester (Minn.) Dome.
