FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Apr. 21, 2009-- For the second straight week and the third time this season, a North Central College softball player earned College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Hitter of the Week accolades, with Laura Whitfield claiming the award for the week of April 14-20 after hitting .458 and guiding the Cardinals to a 6-2 mark.

Whitfield started all eight games last week at shortstop, going 11-for-24 at the plate with one double and four home runs. Whitfield drove in nine runs and crossed the plate an additional nine times, sporting a slugging percentage of 1.000.

On Wednesday against North Park, Whitfield finished game two with a three-for-four effort including a home run and three runs scored. On Sunday, Whitfield finished a doubleheader sweep of Saint Mary's (Ind.) going five-for-six with four RBIs and three home runs. In game one, Whitfield blasted a career-high three home runs to lead off the second, third and fifth innings in the 9-5 victory.

Whitfield joins Kara Reid and Kelli Lofgren, becoming the third Cardinal in the last four weeks to claim the award. Reid won the award last week after driving in 11 runs and batting .474, while Lofgren was tabbed CCIW Hitter of the Week on March 31 after hitting .727 during the team's Arizona trip.

The Cardinals (19-9, 7-3 CCIW) hit the road on Wednesday, making the trek up to Wisconsin to face Beloit College in a non-conference match-up before concluding the week with home doubleheaders against Carthage College on Thursday and Augustana College on Saturday. Thursday's doubleheader is slated to begin at 3 p.m. while first pitch on Saturday is 1 p.m.