Teams had to fight the weather this weekend as ten games were cancelled.  Of the games that could be played, the Valley went 17-11.  Creighton (7-0) and Evansville (2-0) are the only teams that remain undefeated. This week's State Farm MVC Player and Pitcher of the Week are Caiti Kopp of Illinois State and Natalie Rose of Missouri State, respectively.

State Farm MVC Player of the Week
Caiti Kopp, Senior, Normal, Ill. - Illinois State
Caiti Kopp finished the Littlewood Classic 6-for-13 at the plate with three doubles, six runs scored and no strikeouts. The senior catcher recorded multiple hits in three of five games on the weekend, including a 2-for-4 performance against Iowa, where she doubled twice and drove in four runs. Kopp also coaxed three walks to give her a .563 on-base percentage for the weekend. From behind the plate, Kopp threw out a pair of would-be base stealers in six opportunities and has only allowed four stolen bases in seven chances on the season.


State Farm MVC Pitcher of the Week
Natalie Rose, Senior, Henryetta, Okla. - Missouri State
Rose was tremendous in her three outings this weekend, picking up a win and a save. For the weekend, Rose struck out 19 batters while not issuing a single base on balls in 15 innings of work. On Sunday, she took a perfect game into the sixth inning before surrendering three hits to the Jackrabbits in the final two innings. She struck out 11 SDSU batters en route to the complete game victory. On Friday, she picked up the save after firing three scoreless innings of relief and striking out three Sam Houston State batters. Despite a no-decision, Rose continued her domination of the Mean Green by shutting down the UNT offense over the final five innings. Including Friday’s outing, she has tossed 15 innings against UNT allowing just one run while striking out 14 Mean Green hitters in her last three appearances at North Texas.

Other notable performances:

Players
Bailiegh Basham, Bradley
Basham hit .417 with a double, home run, three runs scored and drove in a team-high five RBI during play at the Stanford Nike Invitational. Basham also drew five of Bradley’s 10 walks on the weekend and boasted a .611 on base percentage in the five games, in addition to throwing out three of six base runners trying to steal while helping BU to a 2-3 record. She hit her first career home run in Bradley’s 12-7 win against Nevada, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Allie Mathewson, Creighton
Rookie Allie Mathewson continued her hot start over the weekend, leading the Bluejays with seven hits and a .538 average at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Classic. The freshman went 7-for-13 last week with two runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases, while playing flawless defense in centerfield and first base. She opened the weekend with a 2-for-5 game, driving in a run and scoring another in a 5-4 extra-inning win over Northern Illinois.

Lindsay Vande Wall, Drake
Vande Wall was 2-8 with a double and stolen base in the three games this weekend at the USF Invitational.

Niki Rahming, Evansville
Sophomore Niki Rahming was an offensive staple for the Aces against Alcorn State, going 4-for-6 at the plate to post a .667 batting average on the weekend. Notching a double and one RBI while crossing the plate twic, Rahming currently holds a team-high slugging percentage of .833.

Ashley Brentz, Missouri State
Brentz had a stellar first week both at the plate and in the field. She hit .625 on the weekend which included a 4-for-4 performance in the Bears’ season opening win over Sam Houston State. In that game, she also threw out a runner at the plate to end the SHSU threat in the fifth inning. In the nightcap, she turned in a 1-for-3 outing at the plate, registering one of the Bears’ three hits versus North Texas.

Kelsea Ashton, Southern Illinois
Ashton had a career week as she helped the Salukis to a 2-1 record at the JSU Classic. The sophomore from Carterville, Ill. went 4-for-8 (.500) with a double and a home run. She hit her first career homer, a two run shot, against Jacksonville State in the top of the seventh, helping the Salukis to a four-run inning to seal with 10-9 win.

Sydney Stuever, Wichita State
At the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic in Denton, Texas, Wichita State left fielder Sydney Stuever continued her explosive start to the 2012 season. Stuever was the tournament leader in batting average (.636), hits (7), and total bases (12) leading the Shockers to a 3-1 record.

Pitchers
Madeline Lynch-Crumrine, Bradley
Lynch-Crumrine went 1-2 with a 1.47 ERA in three starts last week, with both losses coming at the hands of eighth-ranked Stanford. She struck out 12 batters and walked five in 19 innings of work, while limiting hitters to a .244 batting average. Lynch-Crumrine struck out a career-high seven batters in a 3-2 loss to #8 Stanford to open the week. She gave up just four hits and three runs (two earned) in the loss.

Becca Changstrom, Creighton
Changstrom went 1-0 with a save in her two appearances for the Bluejays last week. The sophomore pitched 9.1 innings and allowed nine hits and three runs. Changstom is 3-0 on the year, helping the Bluejays to their best start since 1987.

Sarah Patterson, Evansville
Junior transfer Sarah Patterson debuted with a 13-0 complete game shutout in her first outing as a Purple Ace. Patterson allowed just one hit, an infield single, in her six-inning appearance while tallying seven strikeouts and allowing no walks.

Megan Warner, Illinois State
Warner finished the weekend with a 2-0 record and a 3.42 ERA in 14.1 innings. The senior righty allowed just two runs on six hits in a 10-2, complete-game win over Iowa State and went the distance in the Redbirds’ 11-3 victory over Central Michigan, recording five strikeouts and scattering six hits. In her first relief appearance this season, Warner struck out five Arizona State hitters in 2.1 innings of work, allowing two runs in a pair of hits.

Katie Armagost, Wichita State
Wichita State pitcher Katie Armagost had two consecutive complete game victories over South Dakota State and Sam Houston State at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic in Denton, Texas giving up only two earned runs in 14 innings pitched. The junior from Wichita, Kan. struck out ten batters while allowing only one walk. She finished the weekend with a 2-0 record and a 1.00 ERA.