BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for baseball, softball, and tennis on Monday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Gustavus, Hamline, Macalester, and Saint Benedict claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (outdoor track & field and golf) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week archive has complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Baseball Player of the Week
Raymond McCaskey
Macalester College
Sr. | Outfield
Colorado Springs, Colo. / Manitou Springs
Raymond McCaskey batted .600 (6-for-10) with three singles, two doubles, and a grand slam to go along with nine RBI and six runs scored in a three-win week for the Scots. McCaskey went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in an 11-1 victory at Northwestern on 3/25 before a 2-for-2 performance at the plate that included a grand slam in the Scots' 14-run sixth inning en route to a 17-10 comeback win over St. Olaf on 3/28. He added two more hits, a pair of runs batted in, and a stolen base in an 8-7 game-two victory over the Oles.
MIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Cole Spitzer
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Left-Handed Pitcher
Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Paul Central
Cole Spitzer headed to the mound with the Gusties down by three runs against Concordia on 3/29 and allowed one hit in 2.1 innings of work in a 10-4 come-from-behind win. Spitzer struck out five of the 11 batters he faced in the game.
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Ellie Baker
Bethel University
Sr. | Outfield
Bloomington, Minn. / Kennedy
Ellie Baker batted .625 (5-for-8) at the plate with six RBI and a trio of doubles to help the Royals sweep UW-River Falls on 3/25. Baker was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a 6-5 game-one win before going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in an 11-5 game-two victory.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Ellie Peterson
College of Saint Benedict
Sr. | Pitcher
St. Anthony Village, Minn. / St. Anthony Village
Ellie Peterson recorded the 44th victory of her Bennie career and her 12th shutout at CSB in a 9-0, run-rule shortened win over Bethany Lutheran on 3/25. Peterson struck out five batters and allowed three hits while throwing just 57 pitches in the game. It was Peterson's 42nd complete game in 79 career appearances.
MIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Wyatt Crowell
Hamline University
Jr.
Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake
Wyatt Crowell tallied a pair of No. 1 singles victories for the Pipers this week. After earning a 6-3, 6-0 win over St. Scholastica on 3/23, Crowell rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 10-5 win over a nationally-ranked singles opponent in the Pipers' match with Gustavus on 3/28.
MIAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Karina Elvestrom
Gustavus Adolphus College
So.
Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka
Karina Elvestrom collected wins against three MIAC opponents last week. Elvestrom won 6-1, 6-0 at the top of the singles lineup and went 6-2 in doubles play against Hamline on 3/28 and did not drop a point in her matches against St. Scholastica later that day. She finished the weekend with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles and a 6-0 triumph at top doubles against Saint Mary's on 3/29.