Siena Heights senior softball players Racquel Ward (Ashland, Ohio) and Ashley Helmink (North Ridgeville, Ohio) were named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Softball Players of the Week as announced by the league office this afternoon. 

Ward, the reigning was tabbed the pitcher of the week after a 3-0 record this week in the circle for the Saints. She earned a save in an 18-7 win over Waldorf (Iowa) to start the week after she pitched 2.2 innings in relief to help secure the win for SHU in which the team tallied 10 runs in the 7th-inning. She then started the second game of that day where she pitched all five innings of the 21-3 blowout win over Dakota State (S.D.). She completed another game the following day where she was credited with the win after a 4-1 victory over Northwestern (Iowa). Her final win on the week came against #7 Indiana Wesleyan in a 9-4 win.

Helmink recorded at least one hit in every game but one this week on her way to being recognized as the player of the week. Her biggest performance of the week came against Dakota State (S.D.) in which she was 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs and three RBIs. She is the first SHU softball player to complete the cycle in recent memory. She had two hits in the games against Northwestern (Iowa) (W, 4-1) and North Central (Minn.) (W, 24-1) and has recorded a hit in 10 of the first 12 games this season. 

Ward was named WHAC player of the week last week. She earned two WHAC pitcher of the weeks and one player of the week last year for five total weekly awards for her career. Helmink is receiving the player of the week award for the first time in her career.

The Saints will be in action on Thursday, March 14 at home when they host Trinity International in a doubleheader that begins at 3:30 p.m. EST.