Kennedy Named NFCA National Player Of The Week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After continuing her torrid pace at the plate, Mississippi State's Madisyn Kennedy has been recognized as the NFCA National Player of the Week the organization announced on Tuesday.

Kennedy collected six hits this week, with four of them leaving the park. She totaled 13 RBIs, including a school-record-tying seven in one game. The Montgomery, Alabama, native has paced the No. 20 Bulldogs over the past two weeks, hitting .556 (10-for-18) with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in her last seven games. In that same span, she's posted a 1.778 slugging percentage.

The fifth-year first baseman has led the SEC in slugging percentage in each of the last two weeks. Her 1.167 slugging percentage for the season leads the conference and ranks second nationally. Her 35 RBIs rank third in the SEC and 11th in the nation.

In conference play, Kennedy has been even more impressive. She leads the SEC in league play with a 1.643 slugging percentage and 13 RBIs, which is six more than the next closest hitter. In fact, Kennedy's six RBIs in the series with No. 12 Texas A&M alone would outpace all but one hitter in the league in SEC play. She also has more than double the total bases of the next player in the conference in SEC games.

Kennedy's week began with a two-homer inning against ULM that included her second career grand slam. She also added an RBI single and finished the night with a career-high seven RBIs. Against the Aggies, she drove in three runs with a solo homer and a two-run single on Saturday. In the series finale, she hit a game-tying three-run homer, which was the first given up by Aggie ace Emiley Kennedy and her first runs allowed in SEC play all season.

The recent run of success has lifted Kennedy into sixth place in school history with 34 career homers, including 13 in conference games, which ranks fifth in program history. Her 11 home runs this season are already the most she's hit in a single year, and she is now 10th in the Bulldog record books with 123 career RBIs.

Kennedy is State's first NFCA Player of the Week since Caroline Seitz won the award on April 18, 2017, after the Bulldogs won a series at No. 19 Georgia. Her honor marks State's fourth weekly award of the season. Salen Hawkins was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week last week, and Aspen Wesley earned both SEC and NCAA Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 19-20. It is Kennedy's first weekly honor since being named the SEC Freshman of the Week on March 2, 2020.

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Kennedy Named NFCA National Player Of The Week

Players Mentioned

Salen Hawkins

Madisyn Kennedy

Aspen Wesley

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