Kassidy Harper Earn 3CFCA Player of the Week honors

LOS ANGELES — Palomar's India Caldwell and Southwestern's Kassidy Harper have been named California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association Players of the Week.

Caldwell earns Pitcher of the Week honors after leading the Comets to three wins, two against No. 5 Cypress while not allowing any runs. In her first game against the Chargers, Caldwell pitched a gem and shut out one of the best offenses in the state. She struck out nine batters and allowed just four hits in the 8-0 five-inning win. In the second game, she stepped into the circle in the fifth inning with the score knotted 2-2 and a runner on third base. She answered with a strikeout to end the inning and held the Chargers hitless the rest of the way as the Comets rallied for a 5-2 win.

The sophomore opened the week pitching a pair of relief innings against Riverside and allowed just one hit. Caldwell finished the week with 11 strikeouts, no walks, and just five hits. She currently ranks first in the state with an ERA of 0.70, is tied for first with 19 wins, and leads the South Region with 138 strikeouts.

Harper led the Jaguars to a 4-1 week, their lone loss coming to No. 13 Bakersfield. The catcher was a force at the plate hitting .600 with nine hits and six extra-base hits.

She highlighted the week in the backend of a doubleheader against San Diego City, hitting a pair of home runs off a 4-5 performance at the plate, with five RBIs, a double, and four runs to lead Southwestern to the 11-8 eight-inning win. In a back-and-forth game, Harper answered the call each at bat. She tied the game 3-3 in the fourth with a solo shot over the left field fence. She again answered massively in the next inning with the Jaguars trailing 5-3. With the bases juiced, she hit a grand slam over the left field fence to put Southwestern up 7-5. Her heroics were needed once more in the top of the seventh with her team down 8-7. She got on base with a single through the left side, advanced to third after a pair of wild pitches to get into scoring position, and scored the tying run off an Elyssa Garcia single. Southwestern scored three runs in the next inning to secure the win.

She was clutch in a 3-0 win over Allan Hancock when she tripled in a pair of runners to add some insurance. Harper finished the week with 11 RBIs, seven runs, three home runs, two triples, one double, one stolen base, and a walk.