Oklahoma City, OK - Bianka Bell's solid performance at the plate earns the LSU senior USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors
LSU senior infielder Bianka Bell (Tampa, Fla.) has been selected as the Week 5 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball announced today. Bell’s timely and consistent hitting played a key role in helping the then-No. 6 LSU Tigers pick up a Southeastern Conference (SEC) series win over then-No 4 Alabama over the weekend. Reaching base in each of the Tigers games, Bell drove in six RBI while coming around to score seven times to also earn her first SEC weekly league award. With her efforts, LSU moved up two spots to No. 4 in this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
Bianka Bell's solid performance at the plate earns the LSU senior USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors
OKLAHOMA CITY — LSU senior infielder Bianka Bell (Tampa, Fla.) has been selected as the Week 5 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball announced today. Bell's timely and consistent hitting played a key role in helping the then-No. 6 LSU Tigers pick up a Southeastern Conference (SEC) series win over then-No 4 Alabama over the weekend. Reaching base in each of the Tigers games, Bell drove in six RBI while coming around to score seven times to also earn her first SEC weekly league award. With her efforts, LSU moved up two spots to No. 4 in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
"I couldn't have done it without the help of my teammates and coaches," said Bell. "We had a great week of preparation in getting ready for both teams and it showed for us. I'm glad to have received this honor and hope to continue to make the Tiger family proud."
Starting the week with a pair of wins over Longwood, Bell recorded a double in back-to-back games against the Lancers. In game one, Bell went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two walks in a 4-0 win. In the second game of the doubleheader, Bell drove in the game-winning run to help the Tigers to a 1-0 victory. In LSU's SEC opening weekend, Bell helped lead the Tigers to a 2-1 record over the Crimson Tide. In the series opener, Bell knocked out a three-run home run in the first inning to help lift the Tigers to a 6-2 win. In the series finale, Bell belted out a solo shot in LSU's 8-1 win.
"It was great to see Bianka have such a big weekend to open conference play," said LSU Head Coach Beth Torina. "She truly set the tone for our team starting right from the first at-bat. The SEC has so much incredible competition, so it was great for our entire team to start with a series win. Bianka is an extremely talented player and we are always proud to call her a Tiger."
For the week, Bell collected a hit in each game, with four of her seven hits for extra bases. With a .467 (7-for-15) batting average, a team-leading 1.000 slugging percentage and a .579 on-base percentage, Bell also led the team with two doubles and two home runs while driving in six runs and scoring seven times.
This is the second USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors for Bell, who was named the Week 6 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week in the 2015 season.
2016 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 11-14): Lexie Elkins – Louisiana-Lafayette - Senior - Catcher – Victoria, Texas
Week 2 (Feb. 15-21): Jailyn Ford – James Madison - Senior - Pitcher – Hot Springs, Va.
Week 3 (Feb. 22-28): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly - Junior - Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
Co-Week 4 (Feb. 29-March 6): Molly Hutchison – NC State - Junior – C/OF – San Diego, Calif.
Co-Week 4 (Feb. 29-March 6): Sierra Romero – Michigan - Senior - Infield – Murrieta, Calif.
Week 5 (March 7-13): Bianka Bell – LSU - Senior - Infield – Tampa, Fla.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation's largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.2 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women's College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS). For the 26th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 2-8 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2016 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!
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