Vote for the southwestern Illinois Softball Player of the Week April 18-23
Vote for the Belleville News-Democrat’s Softball Prep of the Week. Poll closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 28. To vote again, hit refresh.
Want to nominate an athlete? The BND Athlete of the Week highlights high school varsity softball and baseball players who put in outstanding performances from the week prior to the opening of the poll. If you want to suggest someone to be included, send an email to Garen Vartanian at gvartanian@bnd.com.
Please include the athlete’s name, school, class, position, and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.
To be clear, this poll is not scientific. In fact, we invite you to vote as many times as you want. It’s all for fun, BND readers. People also may submit the same athlete from week to week.
We are planning to post the results later this week after the poll closes.
Thanks for your responses! If you’re having any trouble viewing the poll, try turning off your ad blocker.
Here are this week’s nominees:
Adi Foutch, Breese Central High School, senior, SS. In recent wins against Carrollton, Waltonville and Murphysboro, Foutch registered 5 hits, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. On the season, Foutch his hitting .580 with 3 home runs, 10 doubles and 26 RBI.
Avery Hamilton, Edwardsville High School, junior, SS/P. In four games last week, Hamilton went 10-for-17 with 1 home run, 2 doubles and 7 RBI, including a 4-for-4 performance in a win against Southwestern Conference rival Collinsville where she also scored 4 runs. On the season, Hamilton is hitting .522 with 2 home runs, 13 RBI and 19 runs scored. She also is 2-1 on the mound with a 1.17 earned run average and 1 save.
Jordyn Heckert, Okawville High School, junior, 1B. In a recent game against Sparta, Heckert went 3-for-4 with 2 triples, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. On the season, Heckert is batting .378 with 7 singles, 3 doubles, 3 triples and 1 home run. She also boasts a .703 slugging percentage and .452 on base percentage.
Karsen Jany, Columbia High School, junior, 2B. In a recent win against Wood River, Jany banged out 2 hits, had 4 RBI and scored 2 times. On the season, Jany is batting .440 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI.
Emma Meyer, Carlyle High School, sophomore, P. In recent action, Meyer allowed just 1 run in a 1-0 loss to Chester despite striking out 13 and allowing only 3 hits. As of Monday, Meyer had 8 wins on the season and a 1.48 earned run average.
Malia Robertson, O’Fallon High School, junior, OF. In recent games, Robertson went 2-for-3 against Edwardsville while stealing a base; she then collected two hits and a walk against Belleville West and Carbondale. Against the Terriers, Robertson scored 2 runs total, including an important insurance tally in the 7th inning thanks to strong baserunning. Through the week, Robertson also recorded several key putouts in centerfield. On the season, Robertson is hitting .490 with 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Katie Schneider, Red Bud High School, senior, INF. In recent wins against Okawville, Steeleville and Mascoutah, Schneider notched 5 hits and 3 RBI while scoring 4 runs. On th season, Schneider is batting .455 with 3 home runs and 18 RBI.
Taylor Sparks, Belleville East High School, senior, SS/2B. In recent action, Sparks collected 2 hits and scored 3 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Jerseyville. On the season, Sparks is batting .452 with 16 RBI and 23 runs scored.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.