Softball Player of the Week is St. Thomas' Alyssa Collins for Week 3

St. Thomas Aquinas High School’s Alyssa Collins has taken a giant step forward in her final season.

She entered her senior softball campaign with a .262 career batting after hitting .222 as a junior and has promptly tripled last year’s batting average this spring to .690 entering this week. Through Friday, she’s hit safely in all but one game this year for the top-tier Red-American division leaders and has multiple hits in all but two games, with three hits in five of her eight games against lofty competition.

Her five extra-base hits have surpassed her total from her first three seasons and her .897 slugging coming into this week is greater than the .212, .358 and .241 she registered over those campaigns, combined.

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She is batting .600 for the season, through Friday, with three doubles, two triples, 12 runs and 10 RBIs. She’s also walked seven times and stolen four bases.

She is the Week 3 MyCentralJersey.com Softball Player of the Week.

St. Thomas Aquinas senior Alyssa Collins is the MyCentralJersey.com Softball Player of the Week

“Alyssa has had a tremendous senior season so far, and it’s been incredibly exciting to watch her growth from last year to now,” said St. Thomas head coach Chelsea Mattis. “She put a lot of work into improving at the plate, and coming into this season we knew she could be a difference maker at the top of our lineup. She’s embraced that role with her speed, instincts, and ability to pressure defenses, whether it’s with a drag bunt, power slap, or finding any way to get on base. Once she’s on, she can change a game instantly. I’m incredibly proud of the work she’s put in, and this honor is well deserved.”

Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, and has been on the softball beat since 1999. He can be reached at CourierSoftball@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus