LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senior shortstop Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) has been named the NFCA Division III Louisville Slugger Player of the Week, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Tuesday, after powering the College of Saint Benedict softball team to seven wins in eight games.

Tautges, who is majoring in environmental studies, earned her second NFCA's national weekly honor as she was also honored on April 9, 2024. She also collected MIAC Player of the Week recognition for the third time this season and the sixth time in her career, continuing a standout year for the Bennies (17-9, 7-1 MIAC), who have climbed into third place in the conference standings and carry a six-game winning streak.

A two-time All-MIAC and two-time NFCA All-Region selection, as well as a third-team NFCA Division III All-American, Tautges delivered a dominant performance at the plate. Over eight games, she hit .516 with a .591 on-base percentage and a 1.065 slugging percentage, good for a 1.636 OPS. She recorded 16 hits in 31 at-bats, including four home runs, three doubles and a triple, while driving in 14 runs and scoring 11 times. She also drew four walks and posted seven multi-hit games during the stretch.

Tautges now has 12 home runs this season — leading the MIAC and ranking second nationally — while batting .500 with a 1.630 OPS overall. During this week, she set a program record with her 31st career home run against Concordia. Her 12 home runs in 2026 rank second in a single season in school history, trailing only her own 15-home run campaign in 2024.

Nationally, Tautges ranks second in Division III in home runs, third in slugging percentage (1.045), fourth in total bases (92) and 16th in on-base percentage (.585). She leads the MIAC in all of those categories, along with RBI (33), runs scored (35) and hits (44), and has tallied 15 multi-hit games this season.

The Bennies return to action April 15 with a road doubleheader against Augsburg in Minneapolis.