Iowa Lakes Community College softball players Alyssa Thorson and MacKenna Jones were each awarded with a weekly conference award. Alyssa Thorson was named Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Week, while MacKenna Jones was named the Pitcher of the Week. These awards were due to play between April 24th and April 30th when the Lakers went 6-2 for the week.
Thorson, a sophomore from Omaha, Nebraska, was stellar offensively for the Lakers. In 27 at-bats, Thorson picked up 18 hits for an average of .667. A third of her hits went for extra bases, which included four doubles and two homeruns. She tallied seven runs batted in while scoring 16 runs. Those came as a result of her activity on the base paths, where she stole 13 bases. With 59 career stolen bases, Thorson had been caught just once in two years.
Thorson's best game came against Southeast Community College, where she was a perfect 4-4 at the plate with one double and two homeruns. She recorded four RBIs and four runs scored while stealing one base. On the season, Thorson is batting .504 with a .551 on-base percentage. She has hit for power with 19 doubles and 10 homeruns, but also used her speed with 34 stolen bases. Impressively, Thorson has struck out just two times on the season.
Jones, a sophomore from Albia, Iowa, did some great things for the Lakers in the circle. She pitched in five games, taking home a 3-2 record in those games. She logged 28.1 innings, where she allowed nine earned runs and struck out 25. Notably, she recorded 12 strikeouts against Southeast Community College and 15 strikeouts against Morningside University JV. She also allowed just one hit in the Lakers 10-0 victory over #16 NIACC.
On the season, Jones has a 17-6 record with 163 innings pitched. She is currently second in the conference with 10.22 strikeouts per seven innings and first with 238 strikeouts recorded. Jones holds a 2.79 ERA and has seen action in the circle in 25 games. Additionally, Jones is batting .395 on the season with 14 doubles and 13 homeruns.
Coach King had this to say, "Both Alyssa and MacKenna are very deserving of this award. They have worked extremely hard in the off-season to get to where they are at. Alyssa has continued to build on her tremendous freshman season and MacKenna has made a name for herself in the circle. I am very proud of both of them and cannot wait to see what they and their teammates can accomplish this offseason."
MEDIA: For more information, please contact Head Softball Coach, Katie King at (712) 362-8367 or the Iowa Lakes sports information office at (712) 362-7928.