D3baseball.com Daily Dose

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.