HALEY PADILLA OF TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY, a first-year utility player from Spring Branch, Texas, has been named the SCAC Softball Offensive Player of the Week for games played from Monday, February 26 through Sunday, March 4.

Padilla hit .444 during Texas Lutheran's 5-1 run at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Ariz., against some of the best teams in NCAA Division III. Padilla finished the week with three home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored as the Bulldogs picked up wins against No. 2 St. John Fisher and the two teams currently tied for 24th, Babson College and Berry College. The team's only loss came against top-ranked and defending national champion Virginia Wesleyan.

In the 9-7 comeback win over Berry, Padilla hit a program record-tying two home runs - a three-run shot and a two-run shot - as the Bulldogs rallied from a 6-1 deficit. The freshman had at least one hit in all five of TLU's victories, and had two hits against St. Thomas, Berry and Babson. In addition to her three home runs she also had a double and slugged an even 1.000 for the week.

For the season, Padilla is batting .421 with a league-leading three home runs and eight RBI (eighth in the SCAC). She is slugging .947 (fourth in the SCAC) with 18 total bases (eighth in the SCAC).

Other outstanding performances in the SCAC:
Sophomore first baseman Kaitlyn Copher of Southwestern hit .615 and led the Pirates to four wins in Florida with eight hits and 11 RBIs, including five straight hits and eight RBIs in the team's first two games. Junior utility Alyssa Maki of Schreiner had four hits in eight at-bats to lead the Mountaineers to a doubleheader sweep of Hardin-Simmons on Wednesday. Maki had home runs in both games and drove in five runs while scoring three. First-year second baseman Caitlyn Stevenson of Dallas recorded a hit in all four games over the weekend for the Crusaders, and finished the week 7-for-16 (.438) which included a 3-for-5 effort with an RBI in Sunday's neutral site contest versus the College of Mount St. Joseph. The freshman also swiped two stolen bases over the weekend stretch.