Lakeland College

Coenen wins weekly NAC award

Athletics - posted on 5/4/2010

Lakeland softball senior Chelsea Coenen has been selected as the softball (position) Student Athlete of the Week in the Northern Athletics Conference for the week of Monday, Apr. 26, to Sunday, May 2.

Coenen, ranked second in the NCAA with 10 triples heading into the week, hit four more as she drove in 17 runs, scored 17 times and was 17-33 at the plate for a .515 batting average in 10 games. She homered in Lakeland wins over Maranatha and MSOE as the Muskies won five straight games heading into the NAC Softball Tournament.

"Her expectation at the plate is to put the ball in play," Lakeland softball coach Chad Buchmann said. "She has quick hands and is thinking extra bases every time she comes up. Pitchers have been throwing her outside trying to get her to slap, and she's had to mentally adjust ."

She leads Lakeland and is second in the NAC with a .471 batting average. She also ranks first in the NAC in runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.868), hits (64), total bases (114), and is second in the conference in on base percentage (.532) and RBI (45).

Lakeland opens play in the 2010 NAC Softball Tournament on Thursday, May 6 at 3 p.m. against Concordia Wisconsin.