ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College sophomore outfielder Safiya Butler (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) was named the MIAC Softball Player of the Week for the week ending March 22, the conference announced today. Butler batted .452 to help the Scots go 5-3 last week in Florida.

Butler had at least one hit and one run in every game last week, registering 14 hits in 31 at-bats while scoring 11 runs and driving in four. She also stole four bases in five attempts. In an 8-7 victory over Kalamazoo on Thursday, she went 4-for-5 with a run and two runs batted in, including a walk-off bunt single that plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Butler had three hits in a loss to Keene State and two hits against Bowdoin in defeat on Tuesday. She also scored two runs apiece in a 6-4 victory over No. 14 UW-Whitewater on Friday, a 9-1 win over Wellesley on Saturday and a narrow 7-6 loss to No. 12 Simpson on Saturday.

Combined with the other two games Macalester played in Florida at THE Spring Games, Butler batted .570 (19-for-38) with 14 runs, five RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. Through 16 games this season, she is batting .400 with 24 hits, 19 runs and 13 stolen bases to rank first in the MIAC in stolen bases and third in hits and runs.

Macalester plays a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 at UW-River Falls. The first pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.