Metro State's Mickelson Named NFCA National Player of the Week

Mickelson Named National Player of the Week
First-ever national award for a Metro State softball player

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Metro State (36-10 overall) softball player Tara Mickelson was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division II Player of the Week on Wednesday. Mickelson helped the Roadrunners clinch the regular season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship with her performances in four games over the weekend.

She becomes the first-ever Metro State softball player to national player of the week honors.

Mickelson, a junior from Wheat Ridge, Colo., continued her offensive prowess this past weekend. She entered the weekend ranked in the top-10 nationally in home runs and added four more in four games against Chadron State. She currently has 22 this season, just two behind the national leader. She scored a run and had an RBI in the 5-1 win in game one on Saturday. In game two, she drilled two home runs, going 3-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. Her two run home run in the first inning gave Metro State a 2-0 lead in the 17-0 win. On Sunday, Mickelson hit a game-tying solo home run in game one. In game two, the regular season championship-clinching game, her three-run home run put the Roadrunners in front 4-0. Overall, she batted .615 (8-for-13), drove in nine batters, scored eight runs and tallied 13 putouts and an assist, catching two games behind the plate.

Metro State is currently ranked No. 13 in the NFCA Division II top-25 poll, released on Wednesday. The Roadrunners finished the regular season as RMAC champions and will host the RMAC Tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They also held on to the No. 2 spot in the Central Region rankings, released by the NCAA Division II Softball Committee.