BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- For the second week in a row, senior shortstop Olivia Tautges of the College of Saint Benedict softball team (6-4) has been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Softball Offensive Player of the Week after another remarkable stretch at the plate.

 

The award adds to an already impressive list of accomplishments for the College of Saint Benedict standout. A two-time All-MIAC and two-time NFCA All-Region selection, Tautges has now earned the conference's weekly offensive honor five times in her career. During her standout 2024 season — when she was also named third team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association — she received the award three times in April. This season, she has already been recognized twice, on March 2 and March 9.

Tautges continued her red-hot start to the season while leading the Bennies at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia. Over six games, she batted .583, going 14-for-24 with 27 total bases, 10 runs scored and 10 RBI as the Bennies finished the tournament with a 4–2 record.

Her offensive production included three home runs, three doubles and a triple, helping her post a 1.725 OPS with a .600 on-base percentage and a 1.135 slugging percentage. She recorded four multi-hit games during the event, including a three-hit performance in a 9–6 win over Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Against No. 14 Huntingdon, she collected two hits, including a triple. She also had three hits, including a home run, and scored three runs in a 21–3 win over Spalding.

One of her most dominant performances came in an 8–0 victory over Cortland Red Dragons softball, when she went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, two home runs and three RBI. Over the final three games of the tournament, Tautges was nearly unstoppable, going 8-for-11 with nine RBI and three home runs.

Her strong play has extended her hitting streak to nine games and lifted her season batting average to .611 with a 1.778 OPS. Through the early part of the 2026 season, she has 22 hits, 15 runs scored, 12 RBI and four home runs while compiling a .667 on-base percentage and 40 total bases. She is tanked in the top five of every major MIAC statistical category.

Tautges is also continuing to climb the program record lists at the College of Saint Benedict. She now ranks ninth in school history with 85 career RBI and has hit 23 career home runs, the third-most in program history.

Next, Tautges and the College of Saint Benedict Bennies softball will travel to Oregon for a stretch of nonconference doubleheaders. The trip begins March 17 against the George Fox Bruins softball, followed by games against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers softball on March 18 and the Linfield Wildcats softball on March 19.