Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IndyStar softball players of the week (April 29-May 4)

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.

Congratulations to Kokomo's Lanaya Buckner on being voted Player of the Week for April 22-27 ! Buckner, a freshman, went off against North Central going 4-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Her performance vs. the Panthers was preceded by a two-hit performance vs. Northwestern that included a run, an RBI and a triple. Bucker logged a hit and stole two bases vs. Lafayette Jefferson.

Here are this week's nominees.

Anna Caskey, Bishop Chatard

The junior missed last season due to injury and has spent the past month or so making up for lost time. She casually crushed a couple grand slams last week, finishing with a .438 average that included seven hits, four homers, 15 RBIs and six runs scored. Caskey's 10 RBIs vs. Scecina tied a state record. Chatard finished runner-up to Cathedral in the City tournament.

Avery Clark, Roncalli

Clark struck out eight over six innings vs. Guerin Catholic, then twirled a gem vs. New Palestine, allowing just one run on one hit with three walks and a strikeout.

Lexi Gordon, Brownsburg

Gordon led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 mercy rule win over conference foe Hamilton Southeastern on Friday, going 4-for-4 at the dish with two RBIs and a run scored. She also had a hit and a steal vs. Cascade.

Tara Gruca, Cascade

The junior infielder batted .526 with 10 hits, a homer, three RBIs and 12 runs scored. She was also perfect in the field on nine chances. Gruca’s week was highlighted in the first two games of the Twin Lakes Invite on Saturday when she went 7-for-7.

Olivia Jaromin, Yorktown

Jaromin was flawless in the field and terrific at the plate, batting .500 (6-for-12) with two doubles, two homers, a triple, seven RBIs and eight runs scored. She also swiped a couple bases for the Tigers, who cruised to the Delaware County championship.

Jayden Kleiner, Carmel

The sophomore had a heck of a week both at the plate and in the field against Cathedral, Mooresville and Columbus North. She batted .500 and drove in four runs at the plate, and threw out three runners from shortstop — one at second base and a couple at the plate.

More: After years of constant pain, spinal fusion surgery has Carmel pitcher back in the game

Zoey Kugelman, Mooresville

The senior pitched a pair of shutouts, including a five-hitter in seven innings vs. Shelbyville. She didn’t strikeout any Golden Bears, but did punch out four batters in a 12-0 win over Greenwood. Kugelman, who’s struck out only once this season, went 5-for-14 at the dish with four RBIs.

Maddie Liter, Cathedral

Tidy week for Liter at the plate. She batted .778 (7-for-9) amidst a 3-0 week for the reigning City champs (Carmel, Covenant Christian and Bishop Chatard) with five RBIs. Liter was perfect on 16 opportunities in the field and picked up the win in the circle vs. Covenant Christian.

Sarah Miller, Franklin Central

The sophomore picked up a hit against Center Grove, then took off over the weekend at the Marion County tournament. She went 3-for-3 with a home run and four runs scored in a 10-0 win over Roncalli, then sparked a 5-0 win over Beech Grove with four hits.

Harper Moore, Beech Grove

Moore batted .667 (10-for-15) with eight runs, nine RBIs and nine stolen bases. She made a couple big defensive plays against Decatur Central at the Marion County tournament, twice throwing out runners at home from the outfield.

Sydney Moss, Lawrence North

Moss is on some kind of heater. She went 9-for-16 over five games with a home run in each game and a total of 12 RBIs. She enjoyed a double-dinger day and drove in seven runs at the Marion County tournament on Saturday. She’s batting .400 this season with eight homers. She also pitched 11.1 innings, allowing one earned run with 18 strikeouts.

McKenna Stewart, Eastern Hancock

Stewart allowed only one run on five hits and struck out 36 batters over 17.1 innings pitched. She tossed a one-hit, seven-inning shutout with 14 strikeouts and four walks vs. Frankton, then held Lapel to one run on four hits over 6.1 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts.

Sadie Winsett, Castle

The junior racked up eight hits, three runs, 11 RBIs and a couple homers over five games last week. Seven of those RBIs and three of those hits came in a rout of Evansville Bosse on Thursday. Winsett is batting .414 on the season.

Olivia Young, Jasper

The junior led Jasper to four straight wins, logging eight hits, seven RBIs and a couple runs scored. Young was 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 4-3 win over Barr-Reeve.

Kenzie Zigler, Terre Haute North

The freshman collected eight hits (two homers), eight RBIs and nine runs over three games. She keyed a 13-7 win over North Central, going 4-for-5 with three doubles, a homer, four runs scored and five RBIs. Zigler also homered against South Vermillion.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IndyStar softball players of the week (April 29-May 4)