Ava Thys, Athlete, New Paltz

Thys was the catalyst over the course of six games at the Margie Knight Tournament in Salisbury, MD this weekend. Batting at the lead-off spot, Thys led the team in batting average, going 9-for-19 with five runs, two doubles, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base, hitting .474 with an on-base-percentage of .524 and slugging percentage of .579. In a 3-2 loss to Stockton, Thys accounted for two of the Hawks' four total hits in the game, including a run scored. She accounted for one of the team's five hits in a 12-0 loss against Juniata, and in a bounce-back Saturday was the catalyst in two wins. Against NYU, she went 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI double and a walk. She then was the game-winning run in a 1-0 victory over Carnegie Melton, where she went 2-for-3 with the lone run scored and added a double and stolen base to get herself in scoring position to push her team to the win. She added another hit and run scored in an 8-0 shutout over Lynchburg Sunday, and gave the Hawks the initial 2-1 lead in the second inning against previously nationally ranked and hosting Salisbury. Additionally, Thys was near perfect manning shortstop for all six games, totaling 18 catches, 10 put-outs, seven assists and even turned a game-saving double play in the fifth inning to keep the Hawks with a 1-0 lead against Carnegie Melon.