DAHLONEGA -- No. 8 University of North Georgia softball catcher Carleigh Knowles was named the Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Tuesday afternoon. 

With one of the most impressive stretches of the year, Knowles put the nation on notice over five games last week in which she helped the Nighthawks to a 4-1 week.

Knowles batted .660 (9-for-16) with a double, five home runs, 12 RBI and nine runs in five games against No. 25 Tusculum and Georgia College (GCSU). She slugged 1.667 and posted a 2.334 OPS for the week.

All five of Knowles' long balls, along with seven runs and 11 RBI came in the three-game sweep of GCSU. She posted a pair of multi-homer games as she left the yard twice in games one and three against the Bobcats. She generated four RBI in games two and three as well. The rookie homered in 55.6 percent of at bats, totaling a 2.667 SLG on the weekend alone.

At the time of the release, Knowles had 17 homers on the season which was tied for the second-most in the country among all NCAA Division-II hitters. Since the release, the Hawkinsville, Ga. native, in an effort to challenge those trying to keep up with her, launched another homer in the first game of a doubleheader against Lee to mark her 18th bomb of the season. She is now tied for the most home runs in the country this season. Knowles also ties the second-place record within the UNG program for the most home runs in a season in the NCAA era. The current record for most homers in a single year stands at 19. Knowles is on pace to break that before the regular season ends, perhaps before the day ends.

This is the first NFCA National Player of the Week honor of Knowles' career and the first for any Nighthawk since Kylee Smith was named NFCA Pitcher of the Week back in 2020. 

Upon completion of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Flames, Knowles and the Nighthawks will return to Dahlonega for their final PBC home series of the season. A three-game set with Columbus State begins on Friday, Apr. 11 at 5 p.m.