D3baseball.com Daily Dose

Trying a different format this week. There is a lot going on in D3baseball this week with many conferences gearing up for conference play. I’ve listed the top two teams in each conference with notable performance in many. There were some cancellations and reschduled games as the weekend storm in the northeastern part of the US played havoc with the baseball schedules. There are a lot of games on campus so go out and see a baseball game this weekend.

Game of the Week: Cortland at Montclair State, March 24.

Mideast Region:

HCAC: Transylvania (10-3, 1-0), Franklin (8-3, 0-0)
Bluffton will start their season next weekend. Mt. St. Joseph’s Michael Mayer guided the Lions to a 5-0 record on the week and has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week. The senior outfielder was 7-of-15 (.467) at the plate, scoring five runs, hitting two doubles, and adding a home run during the week. Mayer also collected five RBI, 12 total bases, two walks, and two stolen bases on the week. Mayer leads the Mount in average (.500), doubles (7), and RBI (10) as the Lions stand 9-1 on the season. Defiance ’s Brad Timofeev earned two wins last week during the Yellow Jacket’s eight-game swing down in Florida and has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week. The sophomore went 2-0 and posted a 0.64 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP, while leading Defiance to wins over Fontbonne and Stevens Tech. In DC’s 5-0 win over Fontbonne, Timofeev threw only 77 pitches and faced just 24 batters in a complete game one hitter. He added another great start in the Jackets 12-9 win over Stevens Tech, scattering six hits in seven innings. Timofeev left with a 12-2 lead allowing just one earned run. For the week, Timofeev was 2-0 in 14 innings of work, while striking out five and allowing just one run on seven hits.

MIAA: Olivet (6-2), Hope (3-3)

NCAC: Wooster (5-0, Kenyon (11-5)
Wooster junior outfielder Jake Sankal homered three times in his first 10 at-bats of the spring, while also singling twice and doubling once for a .600 average (6-for-10) thus far. He has also produced seven RBI and helped the Fighting Scots to an 8-0 record last week.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Wooster sophomore righthander Anthony Trapuzzano threw five shutout innings and struck out nine without a walk in leading the Scots to a 10-0 victory over Anderson in his first start.

OAC: Muskingum (10-1), Wilmington (8-1)
Wilmington senior centerfielder Taylor Clark (McCallie, TN/Marrow) batted .462 in 39 at bats with eight runs, 4 RBI, three doubles and one triple to help the Quakers post a 8-1 record last. Wilmington freshman pitcher Bryce DeWeese (Jeffersonville/Miami Trace) threw a complete six-hit shutout against Albion and gave up only four hits in seven innings in the Quakers victory over Illinois College. On the week, DeWeese went 2-0, giving up only 10 hits, no earned runs and totaling 15 strikeouts.

Presidents AC: Washington and Jefferson (5-1), Thomas More (5-1)
Hitter of the week was Chris Fishburn, Thomas More and Pither of the Week was Sam Mann,

Central:

CCIW: Augustana (11-1), Carthage (6-4)
Marc Blakeley of Augustana and Andy Sherwood of North Park were named baseball players of the week in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Blakeley, a junior outfielder from Richland Center, Wis., and Adams-Friendship High School, was instrumental during a four game swing in Arizona last week. Blakeley hit .579 with 11 hits in 19 at-bats while scoring seven runs. He had one double, one triple, two home runs and five RBI from his leadoff spot in the batting order. His slugging percentage was 1.053 with 20 total bases in 19 at-bats. He walked twice and stole one base and had one sacrifice fly. In addition, he led off the first two games in Arizona with home runs and in the final two games he collected eight hits in 11 at-bats. Sherwood, a right-handed pitcher from Crystal Lake, Ill., and Crystal Lake Central High School, carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 14-0 win over Monmouth (Ill.) on Tuesday, March 13. He ended up going the distance, giving up only four hits while striking out four and walking two.

IIAC: Buena Vista (3-1), Central (6-3)
IIAC Player of the Week was Tad Barry, Cornell College. Barry, a junior outfielder/pitcher, threw a complete game, three-hit shutout, striking out four in a 6-0 win over Eureka in the opener of a doubleheader. Offensively for the week, he hit .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored in four games. He had matching 1-for-3 performances in the sweep of Eureka (6-0/7-0), scoring a run in both contests and driving in one in the first game. He followed that up with a pair of two hit games in a split with Bethany Lutheran (8-2/3-10), with a double and a run scored in each contest. He had a stolen base in the opener and an RBI in the nightcap.

Northern AC: Edgewood (7-4), Concordia Chicaho (7-5)
Griswold hit .500 (10-for-20) on the week in Arizona to help the Sabres go 3-3. He recorded seven RBI, six runs, two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Griswold also walked three times and was 1-for-1 in stolen bases. His slugging pct was .850 and his on-base percentage was .565.

SLIAC: MacMurray (1-0), Fontbonne( 10-8)
Michael Haynes of Greenville College is the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week. The Panthers won four of nine games on their trip to Port Charlotte, FL, winning the last four after dropping the first five, and Haynes led the way, both at the plate and in the field. The junior second baseman batted .481 (13-27) with 6 runs scored and 2 RBI. He was 4-4 in a 4-1 win over Ohio Wesleyan that got Greenville’s four game winning streak started. He handled 40 chances in the field with just one error for a .975 fielding percentage.

Midwest Region:

Midwest: Ginnell (3-2), Knox (5-5)
Adam Neylon, Carroll College recently achieved a streak if 15 consecutive times on base. Playing at the Gene Cusic collegiate classic against Illinois and Know Colleges, he had six hits, seven walks, 2 HBP and a sac bunt over a four game period.

MIAC: St Olaf (5-1), St Thomas (9-4)
Carleton senior second baseman Eric Greenlee was 7-for-15 (.467) with two doubles, three RBI and four runs scored as Carleton won four of its first six games on its spring break trip in Fort Pierce, Fla. The start was Carleton’s best in 75 seasons, as the Knights are now 6-2 overall. In a doubleheader sweep of Swarthmore on Friday, Greenlee was a combined 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs scored and a double. Macalester senior pitcher Ted Kimble (Pine Island, Minn.) went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in a couple of appearances over Spring Break week in Phoenix. In 14 innings of work, he gave up six runs, six earned runs and held opponents to a .255 batting average.

UMAC: St Scholastica (2-2), Bethany Lutheran (2-4)
The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference baseball pitcher of the week is Alex Smith of Bethany Lutheran College. Smith earned a complete game 10-3 victory for the Vikings against Cornell College. He worked seven innings giving up eight hits and three earned runs, with two strike outs and no walks. Minnesota-Morris senior Joe Fayden is this week’s Upper Midwest Athletic Conference player of the week. Fayden was 9 for 23 (.391) in six games in Ft. Myers, Florida last week for the Cougars. He had six runs batted in with one double.

WIAC: UW-Oshkosh (5-1), UW-Whitewater (3-1)
Andy Podmolik hit .537 (22-for-41) to help UW-La Crosse to a 7-3 record at the Greater Phoenix Invitational. He led the team in hits (22), at-bats (41), doubles (6), triples (2), total bases (32), walks (12) and steals (6). Podmolik had seven multi-hit games and finished with at least one hit in nine of 10 games. He also had five multi-run games and was six-for-six in stolen base attempts. Podmolik was five-for-six in UW-La Crosse’s 12-9 victory over Marian College (Wis.) on March 12. The five hits are tied for second in single-game school history. In 10.2 innings pitched, Adam Bretl, UW-Oshkosh earned one victory and one save as he allowed four hits, one unearned run and had nine strikeouts with one walk. He earned the save in a 5-1 triumph over North Central College (Ill.) on March 17 after working 4.0 innings and allowing two hits, one walk, one unearned run and striking out four. In a 5-3 win over St. Norbert College on March 18, Bretl pitched 6.2 innings of relief, allowing two hits and recording five strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season.

West Region:

ASC: Texas-Dallas (16-5, 6-0), McMurry (15-7, 6-0), (Texas-Tyler (20-0, 3-0)
Ozarks sophomore outfielder John Glenn helped pace a 5-0 week by recording five extra-base hits – including a game-tying triple against East Texas Baptist – and six RBI. Glenn batted .454 with three doubles and a home run. He walked two times and stole two bases. Texas-Dallas junior right-hander Drew Waggoner tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout against Louisiana College. Waggoner struck out six batters and did not issue a walk over the nine-inning, 1-0 win. He has now pitched 16 consecutive scoreless innings. Ozarks junior right-hander Robby Finnell picked up a win and two saves in a three-game ASC series against Texas Texas Baptist. Finnell did not all a run over 6 2/3 innings of relief work and struck out three batters. He also homered and drove in six runs. McMurry junior second baseman Weston Franco went 13-for-26 with four home runs and 12 RBI to pace a 5-1 week that included an ASC series sweep over Hardin-Simmons. Franco had eight hits and three of those long balls against HSU. He scored 15 runs and walked five times over the six games. Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore right-hander R.B. Garza struck out 14 batters – an ASC high this season – in a seven-inning win over Sul Ross State. Garza didn’t allow an earned run and surrendered only four hits. The strikeout total was the highest for UMHB since it moved to NCAA Division III. Garza becomes the first player this season to win any top weekly divisional award twice.

NWC: Geroge Fox (15-1, 8-1), Puget Sound (8-1, 9-7-1)
NWC Player of the Week was Dan Wentzell, George Fox led the Bruins to a 4-1 week with three home runs (two game-winners), two doubles, 11 runs batted in and 9 runs scored. He batted .438 (7 for 16) while getting walked eight times. He also stole three bases in three attempts. NWC Pitcher of the Week Joe DiPietro, PLU went 8 innings in a 4-2 win over Pacific, allowing only one run on three hits while striking out 8 batters and walking only one. He improved to 5-1 this year.

SCIAC: Redlands (17-4, 3-0), La Verne (5-1, 11-9)
Pomona-Pitzer’s Drew Hedman was named the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week. In four games, Hedman, a sophomore from Redding, California helped the Sagehens go undefeated (4-0) in the California Classic. Hedman was 9 for 14 with 4 home runs and 12 runs batted in. He scored seven runs and walked 5 times, while batting .643 with a 1.643 slugging percentage and a .714 on base percentage.

Chapman (18-3) made it though a stretch of play where they played five consecutive games against ranked opponents, going 4-1. If they can keep up their stellar play, expect them to be the new number one team when the new poll comes out this week.

Trying a different format this week. There is a lot going on in D3baseball this week with many conferences gearing up for conference play. I’ve listed the top two teams in each conference with notable performance in many. There were some cancellations and reschduled games as the weekend storm in the northeastern part of the US played havoc with the baseball schedules. There are a lot of games on campus so go out and see a baseball game this weekend.

Game of the Week: Cortland at Montclair State, March 24.

New England Region:

CCC: Endicott (1-0), Salve Regina (7-3)
Co-Players of the Week were Brad Mounatin, Eastern Nazarene and Davin Sirpenski, Salve Regina. Co-Pitchers of the Week were Aaron Laplante, Wentworth and Matt Palmisano, Salve Regina. Riley Diaz, Salve Regina was Rookie of the Week in the CCC. Mountain helped the Crusaders to a 5-3 start by posting a 2-0 record with one save, 17 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA. Sirpenski batted ,421 with a pait of doubles, a triple, eight runs scored and ten RBI. On the mound he was 1-0 with a pair of saves. LaPlante earned two of Wentworth’s three wins as he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Palmisano pitched consecutive four-hit shutouts with nine strikeouts in the game against Muhlenberg. Diaz started his career with a 7-17 week (.412) that saw him hit a pair of doubles, a homerun and drive in six.

GNAC: Suffolk (7-3), Albertus Magnus (3-2)

LEC: UMass-Dartmouth (3-2), Keene State (7-5)

MASCAC: Salem State (6-5), Fitchburg State (4-4)

NESCAC: Bowdoin (3-1), Trinity (3-2)
Top performances in the NESCAC include Amherst senior outfielder Tom Scott who went a combined 3- for-7 in the Jeffs’ opening weekend, picking up a pair of singles, a sacrifice bunt and adding a stolen base in his only attempt. Wesleyan senior John DelGiudice went 7-for-8 with four runs and five RBIs during a double-header with Emmanuel.

NEWMAC: Babson (4-1), Wheaton (5-4)
NEWMAC Player of the Week was Ryan Rainone, WPI who batted .500 by collecting 19 hits in 38 at-bats during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers last week. He paced the Engineers with nine runs scored and nine runs batted in while adding a double and a triple. Rainone, who collected a hit in WPI’s last ten games, notched three hits, drove in a pair and scored two runs as the Crimson and Gray closed its trip with an 18-5 win over Carroll on Sunday. NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week was Brendan Devereaux, also of WPI. Devereaux picked up a win and a save during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers. He began his week by striking out the side in the ninth inning of a 10-9 victory over Hiram on Tuesday. Devereaux returned to the mound on Saturday when he yielded just one run while striking out seven in a 9-1 win against Illinois College. For the week, he fanned 10 in just seven innings of work while compiling a 2.57 ERA.

North Atlantic Conference: St Joesph (Me) (7-0), Castleton (4-4)

New York Region:

E8: RIT (5-2), St John Fisher (4-2)
The Empire 8 Player of the Week was Jeremy Peters, Ithaca who recorded a .567 batting average (17-for-3), .611 on-base percentage, and .667 slugging percentage in a 4-3 week for 16th-ranked Ithaca. He went 4-for-4 both in a loss to 20th-ranked Kean and in a win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Peters finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three runs batted in as the Bombers topped LaVerne 14-4. He went 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI, and threw a scoreless inning in his first appearance of the spring, in a victory over Whittier.

LL: RPI (8-0), Rocherster (5-4)
Liberty League Performer of the Week was Skidmore’s Adam Brown. Brown hit .421, going 16-38 during spring trip with eight RBI, a double and a triple. He was 3-3 in stolen bases. In a 5-4 loss to Gettysburg, he went 3-4 with a double and three RBI. Liberty League Pitcher of the Week was John Fishback of Rochester. Fishback excelled in relief, figuring in two of Rochester’s three wins in Florida. He pitched 3.1 innings of relief to gain a 6-5 win over Brandeis, then came back the next day to throw one inning of relief to get a save in an 8-7 win over 19th-ranked Emory. For the week, he pitched in five games (5.1 innings), allowed five hits, one unearned run, walked one, and struck out three. Liberty League Co-Rookies of the Week were Matt Curry, Clarkson and Kike Jaffe, Skidmore. Curry started his collegiate career with a six-game hitting streak, going 8-for-17, scoring five runs and stealing a pair of bases. Through the first six contests, he is the Knights leading hitter at .471. Jaffe hit .382, going 13-34 during spring break with 7 RBI, 2 doubles and a home run. In a 13-5 win over Colby-Sawyer, he went 3-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 3 RBI.

NEAC: Pen State-Berks (2-3, 2-0), Baptist Bible (1-0)

Skyline: Centenary (4-1), Farmingdale State (5-3)
J.B. Zorn, Merchant Marine earned Player of the Week honors after sparking the Mariners to the 9-8 victory. At the plate, he went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and one run scored. Defensively, Zorn threw out one runner and picked off the potential tying run at second base in the top of the ninth inning. Pitcher of the week Mark McCaffrey, Manhattanville picked up his first career victory by tossing three scoreless innings in relief in a 7-6 victory over Northwestern (Minn.). McCaffrey entered the game in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs. After allowing a single, he retired the next three batters to end the inning. He then faced the minimum of six batters over the next two innings to earn the victory. On the Valiants’ spring trip to Florida, Rookie of teh week Paul Blejec, went 12-for-18 (.667) in six games. He also had a double, home run and six runs batted in as Manhattanville went 4-4.

SUNYAC: Cortland State (9-0), Oswego (2-0), Oneonta (9-1)
Pitcher of the week was Jake Dennstedt, Brockport and Player of the week was Todd Hughe, Plattsburgh. Both players led their respective teams to winning records to start the season on opposite coasts. Hughes led Plattsburgh at the plate while Dennstedt was solid in his two starts on the mound. Plattsburgh put together a 10-2 record on its opening trip to Cocoa Beach, Fla., which Hughes hit .432. Hughes collected 19 hits and 31 total bases and led the team with 17 RBIs, 16 runs and seven extra-base hits. Dennstedt went 2-0 last week with a 0.00 ERA. In his two starts, one which was a complete-game, shutout against Kean, he threw 13 scoreless innings and struck out five.

Mid Atlantic Region:

AMCC: Penn State Behrend (9-1), Pitt-Bradford (7-3), Frostburg State (10-7),
Player of the Week was Dan Clark of Mount Aloysius and Pitcher of the Week was Ryan Smith, Penn State Behrend. Clark started all 10 games for the Mounties, hitting .469 (15-32) with 4 doubles and a home run. He scored 11 runs, drove in 9 and was a perfect 8-8 on stolen base attempts. He also struck out just 3 times and took a free pass 6 times. Highlight performances included a 5-6 (1 HR) effort in a DH versus Gettysburg and a 3-4 (2 doubles) showing against Utica. Smith who anchored the Behrend Lions’ bullpen with 2 saves and a win to help his team out to an 8-1 start. In 7.1 innings Smith allowed 4 hits, no runs, 3 walks and struck out 4.

Centennial Conference: Gettysburg (10-2) Johns Hopkins (8-2), Haverford (8-2)
Centennial Player of the Week was David Randolph, Ursinus. Randolph batted .515 for the week on 17 hits, adding 13 RBI and 11 runs in a 6-3 week for the Bears in Fort Pierce, Florida. On the final day, Randolph went 8-for-11 with six RBI and four runs in commanding wins over Bethany and Susquehanna. Pitcher of the Week was Mike Ciancio, Gettysburg. Ciancio threw a complete-game two hit shutout at Mary Washington in the season opener. He walked two and struck out one. In his follow-up performance, he threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, only one of which was earned, and struck out three without walking a batter. He allowed only two base runners through five innings.

Commonwealth Conference: Albright (1-0), Widener (9-3)
Player of the week in the Commonwealth was Kevin Fisher, Widener. Teammate Anthony Carter was the Pitcher of the Week

Freedom Conference: King’s (7-2), Wilkes (6-2)
Player of the week in the Freedon was Kevin Johnson, Scranton

NJAC: Ramapo (11-3), Kean (6-2)
NJAC Player of the Week was outfielder Rob Sumner, New Jersey City. Amit Shaa, Richard Stockton was the Pitcher of the Week. Rookies of the week were outfielder Mike Guadango, William Paterson and pitcher John O’Hara, Richard Stockton. Sumner becomes the second consecutive Gothic Knight to earn NJAC Player of the Week honors after hitting .560 with four doubles, five home runs, three stolen bases, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored in six contests during NJCU’s trip to Ft. Myers, FL. He hit safely in all six games and produced multiple-hit performances in 4-of-the-6 contests including going 4-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBI and three runs scored in a loss to Illinois College. He homered in each of the final three games of the trip, including a 4-for-5 performance with three home runs, seven RBI, and four runs scored in NJCU’s 14-7 win over Finlandia. For the week in Florida, Sumner produced a .621 on-base percentage and 1.320 slugging percentage. Shah earns NJAC Pitcher of the Week honors after earning the victory on the mound in Stockton’s 2-0 shutout of Washington College in Cocoa, FL. In the victory, he scattered three hits in eight innings of work while walking one and striking out four. Shah surrendered just one extra-base hit in the victory and improved to 3-0 overall on the season with the win. Guadango earns NJAC Rookie of the Week honors after hitting .500 with a double, triple, home run, eight RBI and six runs scored in six contests during the Pioneers’ trip to Phoenix, AZ. He drove in at least one run in all six games and produced multiple-hit performances in 5-of-the-6 contests including a 3-for-5 effort with a double and two RBI in Paterson’s 15-4 win over Wheaton (MA). Guadango wrapped up the trip by going 2-for-4 with his first career home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the Pioneers’ 11-10 come-from-behind win over Luther. O’Hara becomes the second different Osprey to earn NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week honors after earning a win and a save in pair of relief appearances during Stockton’s trip to Cocoa, FL. He first logged two innings of hitless relief while striking out three to earn the victory in the Ospreys’ 6-4 win over Bridgewater (MA). One day later, O’Hara recorded a scoreless ninth inning to nail down his first career save in Stockton’s 2-0 win over Washington College.

Penn AC: Gwynedd-Mercy (6-1), Wesley (11-4)
Alvernia’s Zach Lutz was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Player of the Week for the week ending March 18th. Lutz batted .536 (15-28) with 15 RBIs, three doubles, two triples, four walks and was successful on both stolen base attempts. Tim McMenamin, Gwynedd-Mercy College was on the honor role as he hit .500 (9-18) with two home runs, six runs and 14 RBIs for the Griffins in a 5-1 week. Alvernia’s Pete Fernandez was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the week ending March 18th. Fernandez pitched six innings with five hits, one walk and three strikeouts in the 6-3 victory over #9 Wheaton.

South region:

Capital: Mary Washington (7-5-1, 2-0), Salisbury (17-3, 1-1)
Mary Washington senior pitcher Brett Diamond was named as the Capital Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week. Diamond pitched a complete game in earning the win over York on Wednesday. Diamond allowed nine hits in nine innings, walking two and striking out eight, including seven of the last nine outs of the game. He gave up three runs, two of which were earned. Mary Washington won its CAC opener with a 5-3 win over York this past Wednesday afternoon to move to 6-4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

GSAC: Maryville (16-7), Huntingdon (14-7)
Junior infielder Andy House of Piedmont is the GSAC Player of the Week. In four games, House was 13-for-22 for a .590 batting average. He had five doubles, a home run and five RBIs for the week. House is second on the team with a .342 batting average. The Pitcher of the Week is Maryville’s Pete Herbert. Herbert had two wins as the Scots went 5-1 for the week. Herbert allowed three earned runs in 12 innings and had 13 strikeouts. He struck out eight and allowed a run against Oberlin.

Lynchburg (12-6, 5-1), Virginia Wesleyan (11-7, 5-1), Bridgewater (5-10, 5-1)
ODAC Baseball Player and Pitcher of the of the Week are Andrew Chrismer and Matt Nolen, both with Bridgewater College. Chrismer, a sophomore from Gettysburg, Pa., hit .636 in a 2-1 week for the Eagles with seven hits in 11 at bats including two homes and a double. In a 14-2 win over Guilford, Chrismer hammered both his dingers while driving in four runs. He also singled in the contest and scored three runs. He followed that performance with another 3-for-4 showing in the nightcap against the Quakers, scoring two more times in a 13-1 win. Nolen, a senior from Lynchburg, Va., went eight strong innings in the second game against Guilford, surrendering only four hits and one earned run. He fanned five batters without allowing a free pass.

SCAC: Rhodes (22-2, 8-0), Trinity (Texas) (12-10, 4-0)
SCAC Player of the Week was Nick Vera, Trinity (Texas). Vera hit .412 (7-17) with four extra-base hits over the past week, which included a four-game SCAC sweep of Hendrix College, and the Tigers won all five of their contests. Vera had four runs and three RBI to go with three doubles and a triple, giving him 12 total bases and a .706 slugging percentage. He also drew four walks and was hit by pitch three times to bring his on-base percentage to .583 for the week. Once on the bases, Vera was a threat to steal, swiping five bases in seven attempts. Pitcher of the Week is Justin Frost, Austin. Frost pitched a gem against 13th-ranked Millsaps College, defeating the Majors 5-0 in Jackson in SCAC West Division action on Saturday. Frost tossed a complete game, surrendering just three hits and striking out one to pick up the victory. Saturday’s shutout was the first time Millsaps has been blanked since April 26, 2002 - when Southwestern defeated the Majors, 1-0, in the SCAC Tournament - snapping a 201 game streak in which Jim Page’s squad had scored at least one run.

USA South: Christopher Newport (17-5, 5-1), Averett (27-5, 4-2)
Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week goes to Averett. Joey Garry, Averett led the Cougars to a 3-0 record last week by batting .615 (8-for-13) with three runs scored and an on-base percentage of .643. In a 7-6 win over Lynchburg, Garry was 2-for-4 with one run scored. In a doubleheader sweep of USA South rival N.C. Wesleyan, Garry was a combined 6-for-9 with two runs scored in the two wins. Also nominated: Ben Walton, Ferrum; Adam Kessel, Shenandoah; Mike Ellsworth, Methodist. Ahmed Shelton, Averett collected his second honor in as many weeks as he helped the Cougars to a conference victory over N.C. Wesleyan in his only appearance last week. Shelton tossed all 11 innings of a 4-3, extra-inning, win for the Cougars over the Battling Bishops. In those 11 frames, Shelton gave up just three runs on 14 hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Also nominated: Kenny Moreland, Christopher Newport; Elliott Bisplinghoff, Methodist; Ryan Cooper, Ferrum; Taylor DuFrene, Shenandoah.

South independent Emory (16-3) defeated Washington University (Mo.) on Saturday to take home the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship for the second-consecutive year. The win brings Emory to 4-2 in association play and to 15-3 during its 2007 campaign.

In the HCAC Mt St Joseph (9-1) leads all conference members. Baseball hitter of the week was Gabe Focke, Rose-Hulman. The junior outfielder was 7-of-8 (.875) at the plate and collected seven singles, three RBI, and scored once in the two wins. Focke’s on base and slugging percentage for the week was also .875. Mt. St. Joseph’s John Strittholt was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference pitcher of the week. The junior right-hander threw a two-hit shutout against RIC, allowing only one walk and one unearned run. Strittholt struck out one batter and allowed only singles in the fifth and seventh innings to claim his first win of the young season. Defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion Wooster (5-0) has once again emerged as the preseason favorite in balloting by baseball coaches in their annual preseason poll. OIn the OAC, Muskingum (10-1), Wilmington (5-1) have the best records. OAC hitter of the week was Muskingum freshman Brock Whiteman as he helped lead the Muskies to a 9-1 record at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. Whiteman batted .476 with 21 RBI, four triples, three doubles and one home run. The pitcher of the week was Mount Union senior pitcher Shawn Kerek who pitched two complete games in as many starts last week. He gave up only six hits, one run, and one earned run and tallied 13 strikeouts to hold the Raiders opponents to a .122 batting average. Presidents AC favotite Washington and Jefferson started 3-0.

Only Augustana (7-1) in the CCIW had a good start. Carthage (4-4) has the second best record of the conference teams. Brian Kolb of Wheaton and Jacob Husing of Carthage were named baseball players of the week in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin after their performances during the previous week of competition. Kolb, a freshman infielder, had a strong week for the Thunder baseball team last week with a .542 (13-24) batting average. Kolb had a .621 on-base percentage and a .833 slugging percentage, driving in nine runs on the week and scoring five times. Kolb hit two home runs last Wednesday against DeSales University, including a grand slam. Husing defeated Coe College, 3-1, on March 10 in the Red Men’s season opener in Port Charlotte. Fla. Husing allowed one unearned run on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six batters. Once again the IIAC has a national player of the week IIAC male athlete of the week and NCBWA pitcher of the week was Lee Boyse, Coe. Boyse, a junior pitcher, went 2-0 with a 0.69 earned run average and 11 strikeouts in two games during the week. He pitched six innings in Coe’s 13-1 win over Clark (Mass.), striking out four and allowing one run and four hits. Boyse threw a complete game shutout in a 2-0 win over #8-ranked Carthage. He struck out seven batters in seven innings and did not walk a batter. In the Northern AC, Concordia-Chicago (6-3) is on top of preseason favorite Aurora (6-4). Webster (8-5 is the only team above .500 in the SLIAC. Erich Schwartz of Maryville University has been selected as the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball hitter of the week. The Saints won six of nine games during the week and Schwartz led the way with a .290 (9-31) batting average. The junior DH from Parkway North High School in St. Louis had 7 RBI, scored 7 runs and had 3 doubles and a home run.

In the Midwest Conference only two teams are at .55 or above, Carrol (3-3) and Grinnell (2-2). Ripon (2-7) is the favorite for its sixth MWC North Division title in seven years according to the 2007 MWC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. Carleton (3-0) leads the MIAC and St Scholastica (2-2) leads the Upper Midwest Conference. Baseball pitcher of the week in the Upper Midwest Conference was Brady Grohs of Bethany Lutheran. Grohs pitched 2 games in Port Charlotte getting Bethany’s only two wins. For the week Brady ended up 2-0 while pitching 7 innings giving up 4 runs, striking out 2 and ended the week with a 5.14 era. Baseball player of the week was Bethany Lutheran College junior infielder Travis Fluck. In six games in Port Charlotte, FL, Fluck hit .381 (8/21) with 3 runs, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s, 5 BB and 2 SB’s. He also played very well defensively starting every game at short and ended the week with a 1.000 fielding percentage. UW-Stevens Point (2-0) head baseball coach Pat Bloom earned his 100th career win in the Pointers’ 7-6 victory over College of St. Scholastica on March 5 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. Four-time defending champion, UW-Whitewater (3-1) is the preseason favorite to win the 2007 WIAC baseball championship, according to the league’s sports information directors. UW-Whitewater trails UW-Stevens Point and UW-La Crosse (6-1) in the early part of the season.

Texas Tyler (17-0, 3-0) is tied with Texas_Dallas (12-3, 3-0) in the East division of the ASC. In West, McMurry (11-7, 3-0) leads. East ASC hitter was Ed Hurta, LeTourneau. Hurta hit a walk-off grand slam against Louisiana College. Hurta, who also doubled in that game against LC, hit a home run and a double earlier in the week against Austin College. East pitcher was Nate Jennings, Texas-Tyler. Jennings tossed three perfect innings with six strikeouts to pick up a save and a win. Jennings, who struck out two against Northwood to preserve a 6-4 victory, entered in the ninth with a 4-4 tie against Mississippi College and went two innings to help the Patriots lock up an ASC win. West ASC hitter was Michael Simpson and West ASC pitcher was Robert Conley, Texas Lutheran. Simpson went 6-for-10 with four walks over three games. He drove in seven runs and hit a double as the Cowboys went 2-1. Conley picked up his first two saves on the season by closing out games against Texas A&M-International and Hardin-Simmons. The right-hander entered with the bases loaded in the fifth inning against HSU with an 8-6 lead. He needed just one pitch to escape the jam and went the rest of the way, allowing not hits. In the Northwest there is a tie at the top of the standings. George Fox (13-0, 6-0) shares the top spot is a surprising Puget Sound (7-5-1, 6-0). NWC baseball players of the Week were Sean Anderson, Willamette and Ryan Snell, Whitworth. Anderson batted .636 (7 for 11) in three games (all wins) last week with five RBIs and three runs scored. He had two home runs, a double and a stolen base. Snell threw a complete game in a 4-1 win at L&C, allowing six hits while striking out eight and walking three. Redlands (12-4-1, 5-0) and La Verne (7-9, 5-1) stayed on top of the SCIAC standings. Congratulations to La Verne’s Brad Licher for being named the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week. Licher collected six hits including a walk-off double in La Verne’s 2-1 series win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Licher began the series with a 2-for-5 performance at the plate in La Verne’s 6-3 triumph over the Stags on March 2. The following day he was a single short of the cycle going 4-for-4 with a two-run homer, two triples and 4 RBI (and two sacrifices) in the series finale, concluding his effort with the game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Leopards to an 11-10 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to claim the series. Licher is the team-leader in batting average (.483) and homers (3). Independent Chapman (17-2) is 3-1 in their last four games, all against against ranked opponent.

Game of the week: #3 Montclair state (6-3) at #2 Chapman (17-2)

With nine first place votes, Salve Regina is picked to finish first in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Endicott with two first place votes is picked to finish second. The University of Southern Maine’s baseball team sits atop the annual Little East Conference Coaches’ Preseason Poll. The Huskies received six first place votes to begin the 2007 slate as the conference frontrunner, while Eastern Connecticut earned the remaining two first place ballots to finish second. In the MASCAC Bridgewater State was picked to finish on top of the conference. NEWMAC player of the week is Ryan Rainone, WPI and Pitcher of the week is Brendan Devereaux, WPI. Rainone batted .500 by collecting 19 hits in 38 at-bats during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers last week. He paced the Engineers with nine runs scored and nine runs batted in while adding a double and a triple. Devereaux picked up a win and a save during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers. He began his week by striking out the side in the ninth inning of a 10-9 victory over Hiram on Tuesday. Devereaux returned to the mound on Saturday when he yielded just one run while striking out seven in a 9-1 win against Illinois College. In the NESCAC Trinity (2-0) starts the season with a sweep of Worchester State. Brandeis (2-0) and Emory (13-3) are in Sanford Florida playing at the UAA Tournament.

In the Empire 8, Ithaca (1-2) is picked to finish first but RIT (5-2) has started stronger. Ithaca’s two losses were at the hands of #20 Kean and #2 Chapman. RPI (8-0) continues their hot start as they sweep the weekly Liberty League honors. Liberty League performer of the Week was Ken Carroll, pitcher of the week was Tim Klein, and rookie of the week was John Dreimiller. In eight games to open the season in Florida, Carroll batted .514 with a team-best .800 slugging percentage. Of his 18 hits, four were doubles and two were home runs. In five appearances, all in relief, Klein was 1-0 with three saves. He allowed no runs with just one hit and two walks and six strikeouts in 7.2 innings. The opposition hit .043 against him. In two appearances, including one start, Dreimiller allowed just five hits and no runs with seven strikeouts and two walks over 9.0 innings of work. Baptist Bible (1-0) is without a loss nut Penn State Berks (2-3) leads the conference with a 2-0 record. Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team was selected as the Skyline Conference preseason favorite in baseball. The Ducks received four first-place votes finishing ahead of two-time defending champion Centenary. The Cyclones received three first-place votes. Cortland state (8-0) and Oneonta State (6-0). Lehmen college (1-1) earned a split with Emerson.

Penn State Behrend (6-0) is tops in the AMCC. In the Centennial, Gettysburg (8-1) leads the league in ERA and is second to Johns Hopkins (4-2) in batting average. In the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation, Albright (1-0) in the Commonwealth joins King’s (4-1) in the Freedom as conference leaders. The College of New Jersey (6-1) leads Kean (6-2) in the NJAC. In the College of New Jersey’s win at Alvernia they ended a possible Crusaders ralley with a game ending triple play. Ramapo (8-2) has a current 5 game win streak. NJAC player of the week was Anthony Mackow, New Jersey City University as he hit .692 with two doubles, three RBI, and five runs scored in the first three contests of his junior season in Ft. Myers, FL. Pitcher of the week was Brian Kraus, The College of New Jersey after earning the victory on the mound in TCNJ’s season-opening 14-0 shutout of Wartburg in Phoenix, AZ. Rookies of the week were Nick Nolan, Kean (hitter) and Jesus Castano, Montclair State (pitcher). Nolan earned NJAC rookie of the week honors after hitting .500 with a double, a home run, five RBI, and two runs scored in a 2-1 week of play for Kean in California. Castano earned NJAC rookie pitcher of the Week honors after helping to propel the Red Hawks to a 14-8 victory over Wheaton in Phoenix, AZ. For NJAC Head Coaches in the news, Newark’s Mark Rizzi got his 100th victory and Camden’s Keith Williams claimed his 150th victory. In the Penn AC Gwynedd-Mercy is 6-1 with their only loss to Farmingdale State.

In the Capital AC, Salisbury (13-2) and St Mary’s (MD) (10-5) have better records but train Mary Washington (6-4) in the conference as Mary Washington is undefeated in conference. Salisbury’s Mark Bostwick was named as the Capital Athletic Conference baseball player of the week. Bostwick hit for the cycle against Catholic University accomplishing the feat in his first four at-bats in the game. In the GSAC, Senior Adam Rosen of Maryville was the player of the week. At the plate, he was 7-for-14 with two doubles, four RBIs, four base on balls and a stolen base. On the mound, Rosen recorded three saves. The pitcher of the week is Huntingdon’s Chad Anderson. The junior pitched a complete-game shutout against Oglethorpe, allowing only a first inning hit in the game. He struck out 14 and walked only two. Maryville (13-6) leads the conference over Huntingdon (12-7). Washington and Lee (11-3, 5-0) leads Randolph Macon (9-4-1, 2-0) in early conference action in the ODAC. In The SCAC, Rhodes (18-2, 8-0) has the only conference wins and is running away with the east division crown. Millsaps (13-3) and Hendrix (10-8-1) are at the top in the west division. SCAC pitcher of the week is John Herbert, Centre. Herbert had an outstanding week on the mound for the Colonels, allowing only one earned run in 14.2 innings, while limiting opponents to only nine hits. He struck out 10 and allowed only one walk, with opponents hitting just .161 against him, while posting a 0.61 ERA for the week. The offensive player of the week was Millsap’s Jason Hadley. Hadley went a combined 9-for-11 (.818) with 10 runs scored, seven RBIs, three doubles and his first home run of the year as the Majors improved to 12-3 after sweeping all three games this past week. In the USA South, Christopher Newport (15-5, 3-1) finds themselves at the top of the standings in a close conference race. Percentage points behind Christopher Newport are NC Wesleyan (15-8, 4-2) and Ferrum (11-8, 4-2). Baseball player of the week was Taylor Kennedy, Greensboro. Kennedy led The Pride to a doubleheader split with conference foe Methodist last week in the team’s only action. Kennedy went a combined 6-for-9 (.667) with four RBI, one run scored and two walks in the two games. Baseball Pitcher of the Week was Ahmed Shelton, Averett. Shelton appeared in two games last week, picking up two complete-game wins. In a 2-1 win over Lynchburg, Shelton gave up one run on five hits, with six walks and three strikeouts in nine innings. In another 2-1 victory, this time over USA South foe Shenandoah, Shelton tossed a complete nine innings, giving up just one run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

If you know of a noteworthy performance post it here or email me at Jim.Dixon@d3baseball.com.

In the New England Region, Salve Regina (5-3) dropped two games to RPI but still since then has piled on some wins. In GNAC Emerson (0-4) and Johnson and Wales (0-1) have started their seasons. In the New York Region we see RIT (3-2), St John Fisher (3-1) leading the Empire 8. RPI (5-0) started strong, winning by big margins in all but one game. Stevens (2-2) leads Skyline with SUNYAC member Brockport (1-1) and NEAC members Keystone (2-1) and Villa Julia (1-2) getting on the diamond.

In the AMCC, Frostburg (6-4), Pitt-Bradford (6-1) both have six game win streaks. Gettysburg (4-0) is perfect in Centennial Conference. In the Commonwealth Conference, Widener (4-0), Albright (1-0), and Susquehanna (4-1) are tops while Wilkes (4-1) leads in the Freedom. Gwynedd-Mercy (5-0), Alvenia (2-0) are both undefeated in Penn AC. Richard Stockton (3-2) is currently on a three game win streak and nearly sweeps the NJAC weekly honors. Skyler Conte, Ramapo earned NJAC Player of the Week honors after hitting .750 with three doubles, two RBI and five runs scored in the first four contests of the season for the Roadrunners. Joe Fisher, Richard Stockton was the NJAC Pitcher of the Week honors after recording his first career victory on the mound for the Ospreys. In Stockton’s 11-0 win over Polytechnic, he surrendered only three hits in the six-inning shortened contest while striking out two for his first career shutout. Matt Allen, Richard Stockton earns NJAC Rookie of the Week honors after hitting .625 with a double, four RBI, and two runs scored in a 3-0 week of play for the Ospreys. Teammate Joe Mihalyi earned NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week honors after earning a victory in the first collegiate start of his career, surrendering just four hits and one run in five innings of work.

Salisbury (10-1) continues to roll in the Capital AC. Fellow CAC member York (5-3) is riding a four game win streak. York’s Dennis Maxim was named CAC Baseball Player of the Week. Maxim finished the week hitting .579 (11-for-19) with 10 RBI, seven runs scored, two doubles, one triple, one home run, two walks, and one stolen base. Maxim had a .947 slugging percentage and a .619 on-base percentage. In GSAC all four teams have similar records with Maryville (9-6) leading the pack. The GSAC baseball player and pitcher of the week are senior Adam Rosen of Maryville and Chad Anderson of Huntingdon. Rosen helped the Fighting Scots to a 3-1 record last week. At the plate, he was 7-for-14 with two doubles, four RBIs, four walks and a stolen base. On the mound, Rosen recorded three saves. Anderson pitched a complete-game shutout against Oglethorpe, allowing only a first inning hit in the game. He struck out 14 and walked only two. In ODAC Bridgewater (2-7) is slow coming out of the gates. Lynchburg (8-2), Virginia Wesleyan (7-2) lead the conference. At the top of the SCAC are Rhodes (12-2, 4-0) and Millsaps (10-3, 0-0), the first ten game winners in conference. Daniel Vanaman, Rhodes, a junior first baseman was been named the SCAC Offensive Baseball Player-of-the-Week. On the week, Vanaman was 10-for-17 (.588) with nine runs scored, nine RBI, four doubles, two walks and two hit-by-pitches - giving him a .667 on-base percentage. Andy Holt of Rhodes was the SCAC pitcher of the week. Holt, who continues to dominate on the mound this season for the Lynx, came in relief on Tuesday with his team trailing cross-town rival Christian Brothers 3-2 and pitched the final 3 1/3 innings - allowing four hits, one earned run, no walks and 4 strikeouts for the win. Holt returned to the mound on Saturday and threw a complete game against SCAC divisional foe Sewanee, picking up the win while surrendering four hits in seven innings with no runs, no walks and eight strikeouts. In the USA South – Methodist (10-4, 2-2) and NC Wesleyan (14-6, 3-1) split their weekend games. There is a three team log jam in first place with Christopher Newport (12-3), NC Wesleyan and Ferrum (6-4) all 3-1 in conference. Averett’s successful season continues with an 20-4 record, the first twenty game winner in the nation. Michael Kurbjeweit, Christopher Newport was the USA South player of the week. The senior catcher from Forest, Virginia led the Captains to a doubleheader sweep of conference foe Shenandoah last week in the team’s only action. Kurbjeweit went a combined 5-for-6 (.833) with three RBI, three runs scored, one home run and two walks. He also threw out two runners attempting to steal in the wins. The USA South pitcher of the week was Kurt Kell of Methodist. Kell appeared in one game last week, picking up a victory in the Monarchs’, 7-3, win over USA South rival N.C. Wesleyan. Kelly earned the win by pitching six and two-third innings while giving up two earned runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts. On the independent front Emory (9-1) with their defeat of Bridgewater is still perfect at home. Steve Bralver, Emory was the UAA player of the week. The sophomore outfielder registered a .545 batting average on 6-for-11 hitting with a home run, five runs scored, and three runs batted in to help the Eagles capture their own Rawlings Southern Classic for the second consecutive year.

Bluffton is still in our hearts and minds as they deal with last weeks tragedy. There is some action in the Heartland as Anderson (2-0) and Transylvania (5-1) start play. In the MIAA, Olivet (6-1) starts the season strong. Marietta (3-0), Baldwin-Wallace (1-0) are the undefeated teams in the OAC. In the Presidents AC, Thomas More (2-0) is without a loss.

Augustana (6-1) leads the CCIW. Wartburg (5-1) is playing well in Arizona. Jake Shandri, Wartburg was the IIAC player of the week. Shandri, a senior first baseman, hit .643 (9-for-14) with six doubles, seven RBI, five runs scored and a 1.071 slugging percentage in Wartburg’s first four games of the season. Shaqndri was also named the NCBWA national hitter of the week. Concordia (3-1), Aurora (3-2) lead Northern AC in wins as does Webster (3-1) in the SLIAC. From the Northern AC, Bill Dictus, Edgewood was named first D3 pitcher of the week. Dictus, a junior, pitched a four-hit shutout in Edgewood’s second game of the season against No. 12 Wisconsin-Whitewater. UAA’s Washington (Mo.) (6-1) is off to another fine start. Washington’s Andy Shields was the UAA pitcher of the week. The senior pitcher tossed his ninth career complete-game, yielding three hits and three walks while striking out nine batters in the Bears’ 11-0 shutout over Fontbonne University in the opening game of a season-opening doubleheader.

In the Midwest Conference, Grinnell (2-0) is off to a good start while conference favorite, Ripon (0-0) was idle. In early action in the MIAC, St Olaf is 3-1. The action in the Midwest region is all in the Metrodome as the home of MLB’s Twins is serving up lots of baseball in the Twin Cities. In Upper Midwest AC only St Scholastica (2-2) has started the season. Stevens Point (2-0) and Stout (3-1) start the season on the right footing.

Texas Tyler (13-0) continues to lead ASC following their sweep of conference rival Texas Lutheran. The Patriots are followed by Louisiana (12-5), Schreiner (12-3), and Texas Lutheran (12-3-1). Players of the week in the ASC are Jeremy Trahan, Louisiana; Will Melton, East Texas Baptist; Adam Froeschl, Mary Hardin-Baylor; and Justin Davies, Howard Payne. Trahan went 9-for-13 as the Wildcats went 3-1 on the week. Trahan hit four doubles, walked twice and drove in six runs. Froeschl collected 10 hits over three games – two of which were home runs. Froeschl had a 6-for-6 game against Southwest Assemblies of God and drove in nine runs on the week. Melton tossed three innings of hitless relief with four strikeouts to help the Tigers snap a six-game losing streak. Davies threw a complete game against LeTourneau, allowing just one run on four hits with eight strikeouts. Davies did not walk a batter over the nine-inning win. In the NWC, George Fox (9-0, 3-0)) shares undefeated conference records with Lewis and Clark (6-4, 5-0) and Puget Sound (4-5, 3-0). Greg Williams of Lewis and Clark was the player of the week as he batted .417 (5 for 12) with two triples, a home run and three bases on balls. He drove in seven runners and also scored five times. Pitcher of the week went to Ryan Snell, Whitworth who did not allow a run in eight innings of work, giving up only three hits and three walks in a win over Pacific. He struck out three batters. In the SCIAC, Redlands (9-3, 3-0) leads La Verne (6-7, 5-1). Chapman (13-1) is off the their best start since 1999.

Game of the week: #15 Kean at #2 Chapman

It’s pushing the midnight hour here in Minneapolis and, as I write this, a young child is being carried on a back up the stairs to the concourse level. And UW-Superior is tied up with Waldorf 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning. Waldorf’s Zack Etter parked a bomb to center, two sections to the left of the 408 sign that ricocheted off the railing and about 15 rows further back. Definitely the furthest hit ball I have seen here outside of MLB and Big Ten.

In the time it took me to do the rest of my job, Superior scored on a stolen base, single to third and a throwing error: 5-4 in seven.

Great games, it is definitely a little chillier in here but the latter game was definitely more exciting. Look for photo galleries from both games I saw tonight shortly.

Tomorrow I return for St. Mary’s vs Dickinson State University (11 a.m.) and Mt. Mercy vs Hamline (3:45 p.m.).

At D3sports.com our thoughts and prayers goes out to the players, their families and the Buffton Community during this most difficult time.

A fund has been established at Citizens National Bank for the Bluffton University baseball team student-athletes. Contributions can be made by check payable to Bluffton University and mailed to Citizens National Bank, 102 S. Main Street, Bluffton, Ohio 45817. Please note “Baseball Team” in the check’s memo line. Credit card contributions can be made by calling 419-358-3324 during the university’s business hours. Funds will be available to the baseball players involved in the accident and their families.

The four Buffton Beavers who perished in the bus accident in Atlanta are:

2B, David Betts, Bryan, Ohio
OF, Tyler Williams, Lima, Ohio
P, Scott Harmon, Lima, Ohio
P, Cody Holp, Arcanum, Ohio

Please add any memorials to the their friends and family.

As I finish the final touches on my weekly blog my thoughts are not on the game but thinking about the Bluffton Baseball Team and their tragedy. This is not the kind of breaking news anyone wants to wake up to. Everyone at D3baseball.com wishes the best for the players, their family and the Bluffton University community.

In the northeast corner of the nation the New England and New York regions are coming to life. This weekend Eastern Connecticut State (0-0) travels for a key game against Kean. In the New York region, Cortland (2-0) is sporting a perfect record with two tournament games played at Hampden-Sydney. Liberty League teams, RPI (0-0), Vasser (0-0), and Skidmore (0-0) will start their seasons this weekend.

The Mid-Atlantic sees the first action in the Freedom and Commonwealth Conferences. In the New Jersey AC Kean (1-0) is the only unbeaten. Players of the week are Joe Franceschini, Rowan, Joe Augustine, Kean, and Steve Myers, Rutgers-Camden as player of the week honors awarded for the first time this season. Franceschini earns the first NJAC Player of the Week selection after hitting .500 with six RBI and five runs scored in three games combined for the Profs. Augustine earns the first NJAC Pitcher of the Week selection after leading the Cougars to a season-opening 4-0 road victory at Stevens allowing just one hit in 8.1 innings of work. Myers earns the first NJAC Rookie of the Week selection after producing the game-winning hit in the Scarlet Raptors’ first victory of the season. He registered a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning for the first hit of his collegiate career in Camden’s 3-2 victory over Waynesburg.

In the Capital AC, Mary Washington (3-0) opened the season with a doubleheader sweep of Messiah College and added one more win this week. Salisbury (7-1) pushed their win streak to seven games. The Seagulls posted a no-hitter against Eastern University as Bryan Brainer pitched five scoreless innings to kick-off the no-hitter before it got closed out by the bullpen. In the Great South AC Mike Sims and Justin Phelps, both from LaGrange were the player and pitcher of the week. Sims batted .500 in four games (9-for-18) with six runs scored and five RBIs. Sims was also 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He had a career-high four stolen bases against Sewanee. Phelps was 2-0 in two relief appearances. Phelps pitched nine scoreless innings, allowing five hits, a walk and struck out eight. In the ODAC,two teams have winning records. Lynchburg (6-2) took two from Juniata. Virginia Wesleyan (4-2) split with York and lost to Emory at the Rawlings Classic. D.W. Moore, Lynchburg, was the ODAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week. He has posted a 3-0 record and a 2.84 ERA early this year in just three appearances. The sophomore right-hander has allowed 15 hits and six walks while striking out 15 in 19 innings. Moore pitched 6.2 innings of scoreless relief at Greensboro.

Millsaps (8-2) and Centre (3-0) continue to roll this season. The SCAC offensive and pitcher of the week were Daniel Ward, Hendrix and Justin Basham, Centre. Ward went 9-for-11 over the week, hitting two home runs (one of which was a grand slam), four doubles and three singles. Ward drove in 10 runs and scored five as the Warriors won two of three games on the week. He slugged 1.727 with a 0.818 batting average. Basham posted a complete-game seventh-inning shutout in his first career outing for the Colonels en route to a 9-0 win over Earlham College. Basham allowed only four hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out 11 Quakers. The freshman hurler retired 12 hitters straight at one time and did not allow a runner to reach third base the entire game. Basham also struck out at least one hitter six of the seven innings and at least two hitters four different innings. In the USA South, Averett (14-3) continues their fine season and N.C. Wesleyan (10-3) grabs the early conference lead with two wins. Conference honors went to Mark Wooten, N.C. Wesleyan, Chris Toth, Methodist, Jake Loye, Averett and Lincoln Garner, Ferrum. Wooten hit .643 (9-for-14) with five RBI, one double and one home run as the Battling Bishops went 3-1 last week. Toth appeared in one game last week, picking up a victory in the Monarchs, 9-2, win over Ferrum. Toth pitched seven innings without giving up an earned run. Freshman Loye hit .500 (6-for-12) with six RBI, two doubles, one home run and a slugging percentage of .917 last week for the Cougars. Garner, a freshman at Ferrum, picked up his second win of the season in an 11-0 win over USA South rival Methodist. Garner tossed eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts. Emory (6-0) stayed unbeaten this season. Emory won its fourth-consecutive game on its final at bat, as Zander Sotiriou hit a one-out walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to allow Jake Ornstein to score from second base as the eagles defeated Adrian 4-3 at Chappell Park.

In the center part of the nation, Transylvania is 2-0 with wins over DePauw while Heartland rival Rose-Hulman is 3-1. Adrian (1-2) got a win over Oglethorpe and losses to Emory and Piedmont. In the CCIW, Augustana started 3-0. St Olaf (2-0) sweeps Dubuque as Luke Gagnon was 5-5 with 4 doubles at the Metrodome in the Twin Cities. Fellow conference member Macalester (1-0) is also undefeated in early action.

Out west, Texas Lutheran (11-0) will play Texas Tyler (9-0) in a clash of the remaining unbeaten teams in the American Southwest Conference this weekend. Schreiner (10-2) is also a ten game winner in the ASC. Players of the week in the ASC are Trent Elizondo, Texas-Dallas, Grant Wilson, Louisiana, Ryen Pounds, Concordia-Austin and Bernard Pena, Schreiner. Elizondo collected 14 hits over 20 at-bats, raising his batting average to .692 on the season. Elizondo hit four doubles, had nine RBI and walked twice. He also scored a combined six times against Paul Quinn College and McMurry. Wilson threw a complete game shutout against Texas College on Tuesday. He allowed just two hits and was perfect over six innings. Wilson turned around on Saturday and allowed only two runs in seven innings against Hardin-Simmons. Both appearances resulted in wins. Pounds hit two home runs - including a grand slam - and two doubles to go along with 12 RBI over a four-game stretch. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and nine RBI during the game in which the Tornados plated 38 runs - a new ASC record. Pena hurled a no-hitter against Division II Texas A&M International, striking out four batters and walking only one over the seven-inning game. The Mountaineers won 7-0.

With the action in the Northwest Conference, George Fox (6-0) remains unbeaten with two team members getting conference honors this week. Bo Thunell and Nick Bratney were the NWC player and pitcher of the week. Thunell batted .500 (4 for with six RBIs and three runs scored. He had a pair of doubles and a home run in the two Bruin victories. Bratney tossed a complete-game victory, allowing four runs (none earned) on nine hits, with two strikeouts and one walk. In the SCIAC, Redlands (6-4) and LaVerne (4-6) are both 3-0 in conference. Chapman (12-1) got big wins against fellow independent Menlo College this week. Chapman All-American pitcher Devin Drag allowed 7 runs against Menlo, raising his ERA to 2.4 but remaining unbeaten on the season. Cal State East Bay (9-3) won two of three games against Willamette University (3-6).

Game of the week: St Thomas vs. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, March 5 at the Herbert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Last weeks Game of the Week: Averett and Christopher Newport split a doubleheader in Danville, Virginia on February 24. Both teams decided to play a twin-bill on instead of single games on Saturday and Sunday due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. A six-run fifth inning was enough to lift the Cougars to a win in the first game of a double-header on Saturday, but the Averett University baseball team could not duplicate the feat in game two. The Cougars split their games with the Captains of Christopher Newport with final scores of 6-4 and 1-3. In the first game, the Captains (7-3, 1-1 USA South) struck early, scoring one run in the second, and three runs in the fourth inning. The Cougars (13-2, 1-1 USA South) however, refused to be stopped by the Captains ace pitcher Kenny Moreland and came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the fifth, Jake Loye led of with a double to center field. Jeremiah McMillan reached right after on an error by the second baseman, and Loye scored on the play. After two outs, the Cougars hit four straight hits, including three doubles. Those hits scored five more runs and gave the Cougars the win 6-4. The second game quickly turned into a pitchers battle between the two teams, with the first run not scored until the fifth inning. The Captains put one run across in the fifth, another run in the sixth, and finally one more run in the top of the ninth. The Cougars only managed one run in the seventh inning. On the day for the Cougars, Justin Brown led hitting 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run. Ken Kellum was just behind him hitting 1-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Ahmed Shelton pitched a complete game in the first game, gaining the win and only allowing four runs. For the Captains, Eric Cole led hitting 4-for-8 with two RBI and two runs.

For those of you in the warmer climates of the states, you are mostly immune to effects of February snows and general nasties in weather you do. However, around the middle of the country, from Alabama to Minnesota and Colorado to Ohio (and points further east with each passing hour) we are in the midst of an unusual amount of snow, rain, ice and other atmospheric phenomena. For those of you who have had the misfortune of experiencing this weather, I’m sorry.

But it is now nearing 5:00 PM in Minneapolis. I am sitting in the press box for the Metrodome and the air is a balmy… well, I’ll put it this way: I walked in through Gate F and my glasses were fine. When I walked into the press box, they fogged up. If I wasn’t suffering from cabin fever after -20 tempratures a month ago or the 11 inches of snow we got last weekend that hampered my ability to make a 85-mile drive in under two hours, I definitely am now.

Back to the miracles of “modern” engineering.

I’d say it’s at least 80 inside the stadium. And no snow. No rain. No ice. Just some loyal fans of Division III baseball, a team from St. Paul and one from Hancock, Mich. I’ve been here at the Dome for high school football, MIAC and UMAC football and dozens (if not hundreds) Twins games but there is nothing more daunting than to be on the field and be surrounded by a sea of blue.

Welcome to March in Minnesota. The snow piles up outside and the rabid baseball fans come into the Dome a wide variety of baseball: from preps to Division I to Division III. As I write this the University of Minnesota is taking practice on the field.

I tend to ramble on so I will try to summarize as much as I can. I’ll be here from time to time over the next few weeks as the basketball season winds down. Some of the key divisional matchups coming up in the next week include St. Thomas vs UW-Stevens Point on Monday evening, March 5 at 5PM (central). On Wednesday, St. Thomas will match up against Division I Minnesota at 6:30.

We’ll be here and there across the Division III country all week and through the end of the month. After each game I shoot here, look for the photos in the Photo Galleries.