Wilkerson named NPF Weekly Player of the Week

July 3, 2006 - Kellie Wilkerson was named the NPF Weekly Player of the Week, after smashing two clutch homeruns, as the Brakettes took three of four from Team China.

While Wilkerson started the week with an 0-3 performance in Connecticut's only loss to Team China, she quickly heated up in the next three contests. In Wednesday night's game, Kellie had a single and a run, in a 3-1 victory. But the real fireworks started in Game 3. With a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning, Kellie launched a towering grand slam to right-centerfield to open up a 5-1 lead. The Brakettes went on to win 7-1, as Wilkerson provided some much need breathing room. Game 4 was no disappointment either, as Wilkerson provided all of the Brakettes' offense in a 4-2 win. Her sacrifice fly in the third inning gave Connecticut the 1-0 lead. That margin stood until the fifth, when Wilkerson crushed a three-run homerun for a few insurance runs. The shot marked her second straight game with a homerun and four RBI's. She now had three homers on the year.

When told about the honor, Wilkerson was both humbled and surprised. "Wow, I didn't expect that. I started off not hitting well, but I was able to make an adjustment in my swing the last couple of games. It's really cool to receive this honor."

Wilkerson, who was surprisingly left off the Team USA roster, has a little extra motivation these days. "I did everything I needed to do to make myself feel good about my chances to make the squad. I was disappointed at first, but right now, my job is to help the Brakettes win the NPF championship. We have a great team, and we are excited about our chances."

Kellie and the rest of the Brakettes head to Houston on Wednesday for four games against the Texas Thunder.

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