By Tim Stried
April 16, 2002

Bluffton College sophomore Amber Fitzwater (Dalton, Ohio/Dalton H.S.) has been named the softball player-of-the-week in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for her efforts in six games last week for the Beavers.

Fitzwater batted .529 (9-for-17) in six games last week, collecting at least one hit in each game, as Bluffton posted a 4-2 record against HCAC opponents. For the season she leads the team in batting average (.333), hits (21), runs (14), doubles (5), RBIs (9), slugging percentage (.413) and on-base percentage (.400).

On Wednesday Fitzwater was a combined 4-for-5 at the plate in a double-header against Manchester and scored the game-winning run the nightcap. On Friday she was 2-for-5 against Hanover and on Saturday she was 3-for-7 with two RBIs against Hanover.

Bluffton is now in third place in the HCAC with a 5-4-1 league record. The Beavers are 7-15-1 overall and will host Anderson University on Thursday and Franklin College on Saturday in a pair of HCAC double-headers.

-BEAVERS-