SAN BRUNO, Calif. –  A day after being honored as the Heluva Good Dip West Coast Conference Softball Player of the Week, Sam Buckley of Saint Mary's was named the National Player of the Week by both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and D1softball.com.
 
Buckley finished the four-game week with six home runs and nine total extra base hits for the Gaels. She hit a home run in all four games, highlighted by three home runs in the series opener against Idaho State. Buckley became the first player in program history to hit three home runs in one game. For the week, the sophomore collected 11 hits in 13 at bats. She drove in 15 runs, helping the Gaels score 43 runs in four games. Buckley hit .846 for the week, with a slugging percentage of 2.538. Buckley also registered two doubles and a triple for the week. In the final two games of the week (one against Idaho State and one against Utah State), Buckley was a perfect 6-for-6 with a double, a triple, two home runs, totaling six RBI.
 
She also recorded a perfect fielding percentage at third base, as Saint Mary's went 3-1 on the weekend with a pair of wins over Idaho State and a victory over Utah State.
 
Saint Mary’s is 16-15 on the season. The Gaels, the defending West Coast Conference champions, open conference play on Saturday, April 5, against Pacific.