Region 8 Player of the Week Awards: April 9, 2024

Region 8 and the FCSAA would like to congratulate all student-athletes who are recognized as part of our Player of the Week Awards. Weekly honorees are automatically submitted for NJCAA Player of the Week consideration on behalf of Region 8 and the FCSAA.

For more Player of the Week coverage, follow the FCSAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at "TheFCSAA."


DI Baseball Player of the Week | DI Baseball Pitcher of the Week | DI Softball Player of the Week | DI Softball Pitcher of the Week | DII Baseball Player of the Week | DII Baseball Pitcher of the Week | DII Softball Player of the Week | DII Softball Pitcher of the Week | Women's Tennis Player of the Week | Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week

POTW Archives: August 29, 2023 | September 5, 2023 | September 12, 2023 | September 19, 2023 | September 26, 2023 | October 3, 2023 | October 10, 2023 | October 17, 2023 | October 24, 2023 | October 31, 2023 | November 14, 2023 | November 21, 2023 | November 28, 2023 | December 5, 2023 | December 12, 2023 | December 19, 2023 | January 9, 2024 | January 16, 2024 | January 23, 2024 | January 30, 2024 | February 6, 2024 | February 13, 2024 | February 20, 2024 | February 27, 2024 | March 5, 2024 | March 12, 2024 | March 19, 2024 | March 26, 2024 | April 2, 2024


DI Baseball Player of the Week

Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas, Florida SouthWestern
So. | OF
Savannah, Ga.

  • Batted .539 (7-for-13) with 10 runs scored, one double, two home runs and nine RBI in four games
  • Hit safely, scored and recorded an RBI in each game
  • Had three two-hit games and scored four runs in a win vs. St. Petersburg
  • Had eight RBI in a three-game series vs. Santa Fe and homered in games two and three of the series

Other nominees: Victor Figueroa, Florida SouthWestern; Pip Smalley, State College of Florida; Kendrey Maduro, Northwest Florida State; Zaid Diaz, Chipola


DI Baseball Pitcher of the Week

Sam Strek

Sam Strek, Northwest Florida State
Fr. | RHP
Jensen, Mich.

  • 1-0, 0.00 ERA in one appearance
  • Earned the complete-game win vs. Gulf Coast State
  • In seven innings, he allowed only one hit and one run (unearned); walk none and struck out 10

Other nominees: Brandon Clarke, State College of Florida; Abel Albarran, Florida SouthWestern; Amari Allen, Chipola; Anthony Cordero, Eastern Florida State


DI Softball Player of the Week

Sister Arnold

Sister Arnold, Northwest Florida State
Fr. | C
Sneads, Fla.

  • Batted .389 (7-for-18) with six runs scored, four home runs, 12 RBI and one stolen base in five games
  • Went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in game one of a doubleheader vs. Coastal Alabama-North
  • In game one of a doubleheader vs. Tallahassee, she hit three home runs and drove in eight runs

Other nominees: D'Yani McKinley, Northwest Florida State; Presley Smith, Indian River State; Ari Wright, Santa Fe


DI Softball Pitcher of the Week

J'dah Girigorie

J'dah Girigorie, Indian River State
Fr. | RHP
Willemstad, Curacao

  • 5-0, 0.64 ERA in five appearances
  • Was the winning pitcher in both games of doubleheaders vs. Eastern Florida State and St. Petersburg and also notched the game one win vs. Hillsborough with a three-hit shutout
  • In 22 innings in the circle, she allowed only two runs; gave up 16 hits and four walks while striking out 25

Other nominees: Lea Chevrier, Florida SouthWestern; Mallory Forrester, Santa Fe; Cailyn Heyl, Northwest Florida State


DII Baseball Player of the Week

Payton Boines

Payton Boines, Palm Beach State
So. | OF
Atlanta, Ga.

  • Batted .750 (9-for-12) with six runs scored, two doubles and one RBI in three games.
  • Helped the Panthers to a three-game sweep of Pasco-Hernando State
  • Went 5-for-5 and scored twice in game one; collected three more hits and scored twice in game two
  • Scored two more runs in the series finale, going 1-for-3

Other nominees: Elvin Figueroa, Lake-Sumter State; Derek Bermudez, South Florida State


DII Baseball Pitcher of the Week

Chase Grube

Chase Grube, Palm Beach State
Fr. | LHP
Loxahatchee, Fla.  

  • 1-0, 1.29 ERA in one appearance
  • Earned the complete-game victory in game one of a doubleheader vs. Pasco-Hernando State
  • In seven innings, he allowed six hits, three runs (one earned) and two walks with three strikeouts

Other nominees: Larson McMaster, Lake-Sumter State


DII Softball Player of the Week

Kaleigh Thomas

Kaleigh Thomas, Lake-Sumter State
So. | 1B
Homosassa, Fla. 

  • Batted .769 (10-for-13) with four runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in five games
  • Hit safely in all five games and was 5-for-8 in a three-game series vs. Florida Gateway
  • Was 2-for-3 with two RBI in game two of a doubleheader vs. Florida Gateway

Other nominees: Alyssa Vallad, St. Johns River State; Princess Arredondo, St. Johns River State


DII Softball Pitcher of the Week

Alyssa Vallad

Alyssa Vallad, St. Johns River State
Fr. | RHP
Riverview, Fla.

  • 1-0, 1.00 ERA in one appearance
  • Tossed a complete game in the Vikings' 2-0 win vs. Florida State College at Jacksonville
  • Scattered six hits over seven innings and walked none

Other nominees: Caylee Elder, St. Johns River State; Savannah Ellis, Lake-Sumter State


Women's Tennis Player of the Week

Isabela Mercante

Isabela Mercante, St. Petersburg
So. 
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  • Playing at No. 1 singles, she picked up wins against Region 8 foes Eastern Florida State and Hillsborough
  • Was also part of the No. 1 doubles team that went 2-0 in Region 8 play

Other nominees: None


Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week

Ana Paula Fallas Cruz Zuzanna Michalska

Ana Paula Fallas Cruz (L), Palm Beach State
So. | Costa Rica

Zuzanna Michalska (R), Palm Beach State
So. | Mazovia, Poland

  • Playing as the Panthers' #1 pair, the duo had extremely strong showings against a pair of NCAA Division opponents
  • Against the College of Charleston, they fell in three sets, which included a 31-29 win in set two; playing against Jacksonville University, they were on the short end in both sets (21-17, 21-19) 

Other nominees: None