WWU’s Benson is Division II national softball player of week

Western Washington sophomore softball player Emily Benson (Kamiakin) has been on a hitting tear this season.

Wednesday, she was named the NFCA Division II National Player of the Week after batting .609 (14-for-23) with five home runs and 16 RBIs during a seven-game stretch against Western Oregon, Central Washington and Montana State-Billings. She had at least one hit in each game.

In the opener of the Vikings’ doubleheader against Montana State-Billings on Saturday, Benson became WWU’s all-time single-season home run leader. She has 12 on the year, leading the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Benson’s hitting streak ended Tuesday at 16 games, two shy of the Western Washington record. She is batting .376 (41-for-109) this season with five doubles and a conference-best 40 RBIs for the Vikings (16-16 overall, 10-10 GNAC).

Benson is the first WWU player to receive national player of the week honors since the school joined the NCAA in 1999. Alison Haukaas was named the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week in 1996.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 1:31 PM with the headline "WWU’s Benson is Division II national softball player of week."