Junior infielder Karen Potts of the Case Western Reserve University softball team earned the final University Athletic Association Hitter of the Week honor of the 2026 season, the organization announced on Monday.
Potts was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Swarthmore Regional of the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship based on her performance last week. She went five-for-eight at the plate with two doubles and a triple. She had a .750 on-base percentage, drawing four walks, and a 1.125 slugging percentage. Potts scored six times, drove in a run, and stole four bases during the three games. In a 3-2 victory over Muskingum on Thursday, she had a single and a double and scored two of the team's three runs. The following day, in a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over 14th-ranked Swarthmore, Potts drove in a run, scored once, had two hits, walked, and stole a base. And in the 6-0 regional final win on Friday, Potts led off the game with a triple, scored three times, and was walked three times, stealing two bases.
This season, she leads the team with a .423 batting average, slugging .832 with a .506 on-base percentage. This is her second UAA Hitter of the Week honor this season and the third honor of her career.
The Spartans, who advanced to the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five years, improved to 30-12 with the three victories. CWRU will take on top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan in a best-of-three series beginning on Thursday, May 21 at 2 p.m. in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The following CWRU Athletes have been named the UAA Athlete of the Week during the 2025-26 academic year
May 18: Karen Potts (Softball – Hitter)
May 4: Sophia Becker (Softball – Hitter)
Apr. 20: Bryce Ware (Men's Tennis)
Apr. 13: Josephine Alspaw (Softball – Pitcher), Natalie Ching (Softball – Hitter)
Apr. 6: Gianna Phipps (Women's Track), Karen Potts (Softball – Hitter)
Mar. 23: Calvin Gelle (Baseball - Hitter), Ayla Grabenbauer (Women's Track), Camryn Mclelland (Softball - Pitcher)
Mar. 16: Tyler Stillson (Baseball - Pitcher), Devanghi Misra (Softball - Pitcher), Rowan Matorin (Men's Tennis)
Mar. 2: Emily Plachta (Women's Basketball), Tyler Stillson (Baseball - Pitcher)
Feb. 23: Ethan Edwards (Men's Basketball), Claire Kozma (Women's Swimming), Tyler Stillson (Baseball - Hitter)
Feb. 16: Hannah Kassaie (Women's Tennis), Art Martinez (Wrestling), Bryce Ware (Men's Tennis)
Feb. 9: Maura Schorr (Women's Basketball), Thomas Wagner (Wrestling)
Feb. 2: Hunter Keane (Wrestling), Jack Rudofsky (Men's Diving)
Jan. 26: Ryan Wells (Men's Diving)
Jan. 20: Thomas Wagner (Wrestling)
Jan. 5: Art Martinez (Wrestling)
Dec. 15: Matthew Ellis (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 8: Art Martinez (Wrestling)
Nov. 24: Art Martinez (Wrestling)
Nov. 3: Ryan Wells (Men's Diving)
Oct. 27: Ellie Palaian (Women's Soccer - Defense), Bradley Winter (Men's Soccer - Defense)
Oct. 13: Kalli Wall (Volleyball), Claire Kozma (Women's Swimming)
Sep. 22: Ellie Palaian (Women's Soccer - Defense), Jacob Slater (Men's Cross Country)
Sep. 8: Maggie Farra (Women's Soccer - Offense), Phillip Washington (Men's Soccer - Defense), Katie Wong (Women's Tennis)
Sep. 2: Jamie Goldfarb (Women's Soccer - Offense), Jacob Slater (Men's Cross Country)
