Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IHSAA softball players of the week (March 27-April 1)

IndyStar will be recognizing the top softball players in Indiana with our players of the week poll.

Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon Friday.

To nominate players for consideration, email Brian Haenchen at bhaenchen@gannett.com or message him on Twitter: @Brian_Haenchen. We will be accepting nominees for the upcoming week until Sunday at 1 p.m.

Congratulations to Carmel's Hope McDonald on being voted Player of the Week for March 27-April 1! McDonald homered twice in four plate appearances against Westfield, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. She also went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in a loss to Hamilton Southeastern.

Here are last week's top performers.

Abbey Bond, Andrean

Bond pitched all nine innings vs. Crown Point, striking out 14 of the 31 batters she faced and issuing zero walks. She boasts a 0.90 ERA through five appearances (31 innings pitched) with 53 strikeouts.

Jilliann Brauer, Jennings County

Brauer batted .615 with a .643 on-base percentage, three RBIs and four doubles over four games last week. She had the walk-off hits against Class 2A No. 15 Brownstown Central on Thursday and 4A No. 12 Shelbyville on Saturday. She was the winning pitcher against Shelbyville and 2A No. 9 Hauser, and struck out six against Beech Grove.

Leilani Forshey, Greenfield-Central

The sophomore went 3-for-3 against Richmond with a double, three RBIS and a run scored. The Cougars host Scecina on Tuesday.

Katelin Goodwin, Pendleton Heights

Goodwin singled, doubled and homered over four plate appearances in an 11-6 win over Westfield. Her 3-for-4 showing included four RBIs and a run scored, while in the field she posted six putouts on six chances.

Hannah Haberstroh, Center Grove

The future Buckeye opened the season on an absolute tear, batting .538 with four RBIs and five runs scored. She went 3-for-4 against Whiteland, 2-for-4 vs. Zionsville and 2-for-5 against Pendleton Heights. Haberstroh has also swiped four bases and been perfect in the field on five attempts.

Riley Henson, Center Grove

Three starts, three wins for Henson, who has already racked up 25 strikeouts and did not allow an earned run vs. Zionsville. She punched out nine vs. Whiteland, 11 vs. Zionsville and five vs. Pendleton Heights.

Elise Lampert, Jasper

Lampert went 4-for-5 in the season opener against Evansville Central, driving in three runs, scoring once herself and registering a steal. She struck out five over five innings pitched with zero walks and zero earned runs allowed.

Mandy Lauth, Avon

Lauth started the month of April with a 4-for-6 showing in a doubleheader. She smacked two home runs in game one vs. Silver Creek, including a three-run go-ahead blast in the bottom of the sixth, then went yard with a runner on in the first inning against Bedford North Lawrence.

Ava McNally, Yorktown

The Ball State commit opened the season with a 3-for-4 performance against Lapel that included two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. The junior was perfect in the field, logging two putouts in the 8-0 win.

Kate Murray, Fishers

Murray struck out 12 and allowed just one run on six hits over eight innings pitched in a 2-1 win over Connersville. She has 30 Ks through her first 21 innings pitched this season.

Sydny Poeck, Zionsville

Poeck went 3-for-4 against Mt. Vernon with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. The Eagles won, 6-3, to move to 3-1 on the season.

Ava Ratliff, Bedford North Lawrence

Ratliff helped BNL to weekend wins over Silver Creek and Avon, registering five hits, five RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Her collection of hits included two homers, a double and a triple. She did not strike out and registered four assists behind the plate.

Bailey Willard, Fairfield

Willard collected four hits and five RBIs over three games, highlighted by a 3-for-4 showing vs. Northridge that included a homer and two doubles with four RBIs and two runs scored. She's batting .412 on the season.

Berkley Zache, South Bend Saint Joseph

The sophomore started her season by tossing a perfect game vs. Mishawaka. She struck out 11 and also homered herself.

IF POLL DOES NOT APPEAR, CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school softball players of week (March 27-April 1)