Ethell named Iowa Conference Athlete of the Week

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After a week in which he hit a pair of home runs and helped Simpson to 3-0 series sweep of conference-foe Luther, Simpson senior third baseman Scott Ethell (Knoxville, Iowa/Knoxville) earned Iowa Conference Male Athlete of the Week honors for the period ending March 28, the conference office announced late Monday.

Ethell's selection marks the second week in a row a Simpson position player earned player of the week recognition. Junior shortstop Dave Johnson (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) took home the award March 21.

A Knoxville, Iowa native, Ethell hit home runs in back-to-back games against the Norse, driving in three runs each in the first two games of the three-game series. The IIAC's current leader in hitting (.528) and RBIs (20), he went 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position and fielded all nine chances at third base perfectly. He hit .455 with a double, five runs scored and a stolen base in helping Simpson earn its first sweep in a conference-opening series since 2006.

Leading the Iowa Conference race as the only undefeated team in the league after the first week of conference play, Simpson (9-5, 3-0 IIAC) puts its unblemished conference mark on the line this weekend when it travels to Cedar Rapids to take on Coe in a three-game set. The preseason favorite to win the Iowa Conference, the Kohawks (9-5, 2-1) took 2-of-3 from Loras last weekend.