COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –  Black Hills State University freshman Sammie Kaufman-Warner and Colorado State University Pueblo senior McKenna James are the Week 3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Softball Players of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.
 
Player
Sammie Kaufman-Warner, Black Hills State (Freshman, Outfield, Chandler, Arizona)
Kaufman-Warner put together an impressive weekend for the Yellow Jackets, playing a crucial role in her team’s split of a four-game series against Adams State.
 
She opened Sunday’s doubleheader with a steady performance at the plate, tallying one hit, one run scored, two RBI, and a double across four plate appearances. In the second game, she elevated her performance, going 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and a walk in four trips to the batter’s box.
 
Kaufman-Warner carried that momentum into Monday’s contests, erupting for a 3-for-4 outing in the opener, driving in four runs, scoring once, doubling, and blasting a walk-off home run in extra innings to secure a 6-5 victory. The freshman capped the series in dominant fashion, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBI as Black Hills rolled to a 9-1 win over Adams State.
 
On the week, Kaufman-Warner totaled 14 appearances, nine runs, five hits, nine RBI, three doubles, one home run, one stolen base, and two walks.
Others Nominated: Ali Davis, Adams State; Maya Schroeder, Colorado Christian; Khloe Kubitschek, Colorado Mesa; Kellan Ton, Colorado School of Mines; Emma Case, CSU Pueblo; Mackenzie Pearson, MSU Denver; Olivia Wick, Regis; Gianna Pancost, UCCS.
 
Pitcher
McKenna James, CSU Pueblo (Senior, Designated Player / Pitcher, Windsor, Colorado)
James delivered a dominant all-around performance this week, shining both in the circle and at the plate to help the ThunderWolves secure a 2-2 split against Chadron State.
 
In the series opener, James improved to 3-3 on the season with a complete-game one-hitter. She faced 18 batters over five shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing only two walks. In Game 2, the Windsor native dealt in relief, retiring four of the seven batters she faced.
 
The back half of the series began with a commanding 17-6 CSU Pueblo victory, where James once again maintained a 0.00 ERA. She entered the inning and closed the door, recording a strikeout and a groundout before retiring the Eagles in order. In the series finale, she added 1.1 more innings of work, striking out three in her final appearance of the weekend.
 
James finished the week with a 0.00 ERA across 10.1 innings pitched. She surrendered just three hits and no earned runs, holding opponents to a .079 batting average. With 15 strikeouts to only three walks, she posted a 0.58 WHIP.
 
Her impact extended to the batter’s box, where she hit .438 for the series, going 7-for-16 with four runs scored, a double, a home run, and four RBI.
Others Nominated: Kaitlyn Geschwill, Black Hills State; Hanna Espinoza, Colorado Christian; Sophia Tassinari, Colorado Mesa; Taylor Wayne, Colorado School of Mines; Brooklyn Levin, MUS Denver; Ava Edwards, Regis; Autumn Kunze, UCCS.
 
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.