OKLAHOMA CITY — A historic weekend at the plate and a pair of wins over a Top 25 ranked opponent have landed USA Softball Collegiate Co-Player of the Week honors for Arkansas’ Danielle Gibson (Murrieta, Calif.) and Kent State’s Andrea Scali (Parma, Ohio). Gibson made history as the first NCAA Division I softball player to hit for the home run cycle while Scali recorded two victories over then-No. 22 Baylor.
Gibson, a sophomore infielder for the Razorbacks, started her history-making week at the Razorback Invitational with a 3-for-4 outing and a pair of RBI against Southeast Missouri. Gibson made her mark on Arkansas softball, batting a perfect 4-for-4, including four home runs and 10 RBI against SIU-Edwardsville before closing out the tournament with a 1-for-2 and two RBI showing against IUPUI.
“I couldn't have done this without my teammates,” said Gibson. “For them to have quality at-bats and hit well, I have to give them credit, I owe all this to them. I'm still in shock of all that is happening and that I was able to achieve something like this, I'm just speechless. I know that I'm a good hitter, so when I stepped into that box in the first inning, I told myself just to go out there, swing like Danielle Gibson and hit like I know I can. Our hitting coach told me to stay true to who I was as a hitter and I did just that."
For the week, Gibson compiled a .429 batting average, nine hits, seven runs and 15 RBI.
“What a well-deserved honor for Danielle to be named USA Softball Collegiate Co-Player of the Week,” said Arkansas Head Coach, Courtney Deifel. “She’s been great for us offensively all year but what she was able to do this past weekend at Bogle is something we will never forget. For Danielle to hit four consecutive homeruns would be a tremendous feat in itself but then to consider that it was for the cycle, an accomplishment that only happened once and never in consecutive innings is incredibly special. It was awesome that her teammates set the table for her. What a cool moment for Danielle and for this program.”
In addition to earning her first Southeastern Conference (SEC) Co-Player of the Week honors, this marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week accolade for Gibson and the first for a Razorback since the 2017 season.
Scali continued a stellar freshman campaign as she collected a pair of wins in the circle against Baylor. Entering the Baylor Invitational without allowing an earned run this season, Scali issued a one-hitter while fanning 12 North Texas batters in a complete game, 6-0 shutout win. She continued to dominate in her second shutout win of the weekend with a 1-0 victory with Baylor. Striking out 11 batters, it marked the first win for the Golden Flashes over a ranked opponent since 2015. In her final outing, Scali entered in relief and earned the win as Kent State defeated Baylor 6-5 in extra innings.
“It was a great weekend for us as a team, and I feel honored to receive an award like this. My teammates in the field played great defense and the offense provided run support and gave me confidence to help us win,” said Scali. “I also want to give a shout out to catcher Carlee Selle for doing a great job behind the plate all weekend.”
For the week, Scali struck out 26 batters and compiled a 0.78 ERA with three wins. Earning her second Mid-American Conference (MAC) Pitcher of the Week honor, this is the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week title for Scali and the first for a player from Kent State since the 2018 season.
“What a great honor for Andrea and for our program,” said Kent State Head Coach, Eric Oakley. “Andrea is an excellent pitcher. She and Carlee did a great job this weekend and Coach Johnson (pitching coach Emma Johnson) called great games. I know Andrea was boosted by solid run support from her teammates as well. We are proud of her. She is not only an exceptional athlete, but a quality person and a dedicated teammate. What a great start to her career!”
2019 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 7-10): Kassidy Wilbur – Stephen F. Austin – Freshman – Pitcher – Bridge City, Texas
Week 2 (Feb. 11-17): Zoe Casas – Florida State – Senior – Outfield – Rialto, Calif.
Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Danielle Gibson – Arkansas – Sophomore – Infield – Murrieta, Calif.
Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Andrea Scali – Kent State – RS Freshman – Pitcher – Parma, Ohio
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women’s College World Series:
USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 29th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there with softball fans from across the country May 30-June 4/5 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2019 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!