INDIANAPOLIS – Cassie Smith was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week for softball following a blistering weekend at the Rosemont Dome Invitational.

Smith batted .630 in the six games, going 12-of-19 with nine runs scored, three doubles, and a triple. She was also hit by a pitch and drew three bases on balls while going a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases. The Bulldogs won four of the six games at the invitational and sit at 11-8 on the season, with four games scheduled in Branson, Missouri, this weekend.

Smith has hits in 18 of 19 games played thus far and is currently on a 14-game hitting streak. She has 10 multi-hit games and is batting .500 for the season with 21 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Smith ranks tied for first among GLVC players in batting average, first in runs scored, first in hits, and tied for first in stolen bases. The Bulldogs as a team are batting .340, tops among all conference teams.

Smith becomes the first Bulldog since Christa Reisinger in 2019 to earn the GLVC Player of the Week award in softball.

Pitcher Kaylyn Jones also had a big weekend for the Bulldogs in the circle. Jones pitched in four games and won three to improve her season record to 5-0. She struck out 19 batters in 15 innings and did not allow a run to score. During that stretch, Jones went nine consecutive innings without allowing a base hit.