ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: MARISSA ESSNER

Marissa Essner

Sport: Softball

School: Kelly

Week Report: Essner, a junior, struck out a total of 14 batters and allowed a total of just two earned runs in the Lady Hawks' district championship game against Notre Dame and their sectional win over Twin Rivers. Essner struck out seven and allowed two earned runs on four hits in Kelly's sectional win. Against Notre Dame in the district finals, Essner fanned seven, walked two and allowed an unearned run. Her dominance last week spilled over to this week as Kelly advanced to the state final four Monday night.

Season report: The No. 1 pitcher on the No. 1 small-school softball team in this part of the state, Essner -- at the completion of district action -- was 11-2 with a 0.99 earned run average. She had fanned 79 and walked just 19 in 78 innings pitched.

Coach's comments: "She's a workaholic and devoted to her pitching," Evans said. "She starts in the spring, goes through the summer and continues in the fall. It's what she enjoys doing. She's an easy kid to coach. She has a rise, drop change and ... what doesn't she have, that would be an easier question. For every pitcher, some days you have a pitch that's on and some days it's off. Monday night every thing was on. When they're all working, they're all good. She's an all-around good athlete. She's an excellent bunter and is very quick. She's a good hitter too. She was my DH as a freshmen when we went to state."