CANTON, Ga. – Fouts of Berry and Tackett of Sewanee claim week five SAA Athlete of the Week honors.
Around the SAA:
SAA Softball Schedule/Results
SAA Softball Standings
SAA Softball Stats
2026 SAA Softball Championship
Athletes of the Week:
Pitcher:
Ava Fouts | Berry | JR | Canton, GA – A junior from Canton, GA Fouts helped lead the Vikings to the NFCA Lead-Off Classic Championship going 3-0 in three starts including upset wins over #8 East Texas Baptist and the defending National Champion #1 Trine. In her first appearance against #8 ETBU Fouts was lights out tossing a complete game 7 inning shutout allowing just four hits and striking out one in a 3-0 win. She followed that up by leading the Vikings to a 6-4 win over the defending National Champions #1 Trine throwing another complete game 7 innings while striking out five to pick up the win. She capped that off with her third complete game of the weekend throwing 5 innings allowing two earned runs in while striking out four in a 13-3 five inning win. Fouts went 3-0 on the weekend with a 2.2 ERA and 10 strikeouts with three complete games, one shutout and two wins over top 10 opponents.
Athlete:
Sydney Tackett | Sewanee | JR | Fort Wayne, IN – Tackett was 8-for-11 with seven runs scored, eight RBIs and three walks over four games. She was 3-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBIs in the first game at Talladega. She followed that with a double, three RBIs and a run scored in the second game. Versus Hanover she posted a single with a run scored and one RBI in the first game and was 3-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored in the second contest. She also posted her 100th career hit on Sunday at Hanover.
Notable Performances:
Pitcher
- Sophia Lay | Centre | FR | Pleasureville, KY – Sophia Lay pitched a complete game in Centre's 9-5 win over Grace Christian University. She allowed just 1 earned run and 7 hits while striking out 9.
- Allana Vasquez | Millsaps | JR | San Antonio, TX – Millsaps softball junior pitcher Allana Vasquez helped the Majors close the weekend strong against MUW with a 7-3 triumph. Vasquez pitched 5.0 innings inside the circle, where she faced 19 batters with one walk. She allowed zero runs and boasted two strikeouts to become the winning pitcher in Game Two of a doubleheader on Saturday.
- Josephine Koelewyn | Trinity | JR | Reno, NV – Koelewyn was nearly perfect in her only outing of the week as the Tiger softball team improved to 10-2 this season with a pair of run-rule wins over Howard Payne University (TX) on Friday afternoon. Koelewyn gave up one hits in 4.0 shutout innings of game one of the doubleheader, improving her season record to 7-0. The Tigers won 8-0 in the opener and then finished with a 10-2 win in game two.
Athlete
- Ava Fouts | Berry | JR | Canton, GA – A junior from Canton, GA Fouts helped lead the Vikings to the NFCA D3 Lead Off Classic Championship as the Vikings upset No. 8 East Texas Baptist 3-0 and defending National Champions #1 Trine 6-4 as they went 5-1 on the weekend. On top of great pitching from Fouts as she went 3-0 with three complete games she was also a force at the plate batting .500 (9-for-18) with six RBIs and six runs scored. She went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the first game against DePauw. Then in the second game against East Texas she went 2-for-2 with a double and one run scored in a 3-0 upset win. In the third game against Denison she went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in a 9-0 six inning win. In game four she went 1-for-4 against Trine while also pitching the Vikings to a huge upset win. In game five she went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 12-2 five inning win and then she finished the tournament going 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 13-3 five inning win over Bethel.
- Emily Lammers | Centre | SR | Lexington, KY – In 2 wins over Grace Christian University, Emily Lammers batted 3-5 with 3 runs scored, a triple and stolen base.
- Allana Vasquez | Millsaps | JR | San Antonio, TX – Millsaps softball junior pitcher Allana Vasquez helped the Majors improve to 9-2 after two wins at MUW over the weekend. On Saturday, she batted .625 (5-for-8), recording two doubles, a pair of runs, and four RBIs. In Game One against the Owls, Vasquez went 3-for-4 at bat, with a double, three RBIs and one run to help the Majors beat MUW, 5-2, in a strong start on the day. In Game Two, she continued her dominance at the plate, hitting 2-for-4 with one RBI, a run, and a double to close out the Majors' 7-3 victory.
- Daniella Clark | Southwestern | JR | San Antonio, TX – Junior Daniella Clark led the Pirates at the plate in a doubleheader against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday, going a combined 4-for-6 across both games. In game one, Clark finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double, providing key offensive production for Southwestern. She followed that performance with another 2-for-3 outing in game two, continuing to set the tone for the Pirates’ lineup. Clark is currently batting .500 on the season, which ranks fifth in the SAA in batting average.
- Ella Whitacre | Trinity | JR | Roanoke, TX – Whitacre led the Tiger softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Howard Payne University (TX) on Friday afternoon, winning 8-0 and 10-2 in two five-inning games. She batted .600 (3-for-5) in the two games, scoring three runs and driving in two more while also recording three stolen bases. Whitacre had a pair of RBI in the opener, then batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two steals to lead Trinity to the sweep. Whitacre is hitting .567 (17-of-30) with 13 runs scored and 15 stolen bases - all leading the team this season.
2026 Softball Report Archive (AOW Pitcher/Athlete)
Week One - Feb. 9 (Mazlyn Heyer/Katie Bejian)
Week Two - Feb. 16 (JJ Sweat/Isabela Barber)
Week Three - Feb. 23 (JJSweat/Brinley Muller)
Week Four - March 2 (JJ Sweat/Ella Morgan Sears)
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