D3baseball.com Daily Dose

It is playoff time. This weekend there are six automatic bids (Pool A) up for grabs as teams look to join Ferrum in the 2007 Regional Playoffs. I have looked at the conferences with no tournament and those tournaments that are ongoing and ending this weekend.

The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Northwest Conference, and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are the only conferences with an automatic bid with no end of the season tournament and the regular season champion gets the automatic bid.

This is the final weekend for the SCIAC where Pomona-Pitzer is tied with La Verne at 13-5. Pomona-Pitzer plays Cal Tech (0-18) three times and La Verne has three games against Whittier (10-8). If La Verne wins out, they hold the tiebreaker (2-3 against Pomona-Pitzer) and get the automatic bid. Cal Lutheran (12-6 ) has an outside chance if Cal tech and Whittier can kock off the top teams in the conference. Pomona-Pitzer has an outside chance at a pool C bid but it looks like only one team in the SCIAC will get a playoff bid.

The MIAA has games as late as May 8th but the conference champions should be determined before that. Conference leaders Adrian (15-5) and Hope (15-5) have a three game advantage over the third place teams with four games left to play.

In the NWC, Pacific Lutheran (18-3) is in control and with one win at Puget Sound this weekend will get the automatic bid over George Fox who finished the season with a 19-5 conference record. Both Pacific Lutheran and George Fox are ranked near the top in the west region and it is expected that whoever finishes in second place to recieve a pool C bid.

Two conferences Championships have been held. Ferrum won the USA South Athletic Conference and Salisbury won the Capital Athletic Conference. Only the USA South has an automatic bid so Salisbury has to wait for the selection committee. It is expected that Salisbury will get a Pool B bid with the regular season conference champion York (Pa.) in the running for a pool C bid.

This weekend will see five conference tournaments. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference, New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and Great South Athletic Conference

The GNAC tournament has started with Western New England posting a win againd Rivier and Johnson & Wales upsetting Suffolk in the double elimination tournament. The double elimination NEWMAC championship begins on Saturday morning with top-seeded Wheaton squaring off with Babson in the first game and MIT and Coast Guard meeting in the second game. The ODAC tournament features the top six teams in the conference. Virginia Wesleyan, Hampden-Sydney and Bridgewater both started the tournament off with wins. The SCAC tournament started last weekend with Rhodes, Millsaps, Austin and Southwestern (Texas) all advancing to the second round. The GSAC tournament does not get an automatic bid but the four team conference starts today at Maryville College.

Of all the teams playing only Wheaton and maybe Rhodes is expected to get a Pool C bid if they do not win their conference tournament. I wish all teams luck as it is essential if one wants to move on to win this weekend.

The rest of the tournament to be played (grouped by ending date) are:

May 5, 2007: CCC, NEAC, MACC, ASC.

May 6, 2007: NAC, MASCAC, SUNTAC, SKY, MAFC, CC, PnAC.

May 7, 2007: NJAC.

May 11, 2007: NCAC.

May 12, 2007: LEC, CUNYAC, OAC, HCAC, PrAC, IIAC, CCIW, WIAC, SLIAC, MWC, UMAC.

May 13, 2007: AMCC, NorAC, MIAC, NESCAC.

The NCAA Division III baseball committee released its first regional rankings of the 2007 season Thursday afternoon.

The number of teams ranked is relative to the number of teams in each region. These rankings take into account the same criteria the NCAA will use to select and seed at-large teams for the playoffs.

The first record listed is the overall record, followed by record in regional games, through April 24.

Central
1. Luther 18-3, 21-5
2. Wartburg 18-5, 21-8
3. Washington U. 24-6, 25-8
4. Illinois Wesleyan 19-4, 22-8
5. Edgewood 18-8, 22-9
6. Augustana 18-7, 23-8
6. Webster 17-6, 23-10

Mid-Atlantic
1. Kean 21-4, 25-6
2. New Jersey 18-5, 23-8
3. Johns Hopkins 22-6, 26-6
4. Ramapo 22-5, 26-8
5. Arcadia 19-7, 21-8
6. Alvernia 22-10, 23-10
7. Franklin and Marshall 14-5, 19-10
8. Gettysburg 17-4, 18-5

Mideast
1. Otterbein 19-4, 22-7
2. Wooster 26-1, 33-1
3. Marietta 14-4, 21-8
4. Thomas More 18-5, 20-6
5. Washington and Jefferson 17-6, 21-7
6. Ohio Wesleyan 10-4, 14-9
7. Transylvania 18-8, 21-9

Midwest
1. St. Olaf 20-2, 25-2
2. UW-Oshkosh 23-5, 23-5
3. Ripon 11-1, 14-9
4. St. Thomas 15-7, 21-8
5. St. Scholastica 13-3, 23-4
6. UW-Stevens Point 13-6, 16-11

New England
1. Eastern Connecticut State 17-3, 21-7
2. Western New England 19-4, 22-8
3. Wheaton (Mass.) 22-8, 23-9
4. St. Joseph’s (Maine) 21-5, 23-5
5. Southern Maine 15-6, 19-7
6. Keene State 16-7, 20-9
7. Williams 13-6, 16-7
8. Curry 14-4, 18-6
T9. Trinity (Conn.) 18-5, 22-5
T9. Tufts 11-5, 18-8

New York
1. Cortland State 21-3, 28-3
2. RPI 11-6, 13-6
3. Brockport State 18-6, 21-10
4. Ithaca 11-4, 16-8
5. St. John Fisher 14-6, 14-6
T6. Centenary 16-6, 21-9
T6. Rochester Tech 9-5, 13-7

South
1. Emory 31-6, 32-7
2. Salisbury 19-6, 26-7
3. York (Pa.) 20-8, 25-8
4. Methodist 23-10, 28-11
5. Rhodes 26-8, 35-8
6. Mary Washington 20-9-1, 24-10-1

West
1. Chapman 24-2, 30-5
2. George Fox 22-5, 27-5
3. Pacific Lutheran 25-6, 29-7
4. Texas Lutheran 22-7, 30-7-1
5. Texas-Dallas 26-7, 29-9
6. Pomona-Pitzer 20-7, 26-10

uessing the at-large bids is one of the mental exercises that D3 fans can play entering the last month of the season. We usually have the official handbook available by now (The updates to the 2006 handbook have yet to be published) so as to know how many Pool B and Pool C bids will be awarded.

If we assume no change from the 2006 allocations (which may be inaccurate because of the conference shifts involving the Lake Michigan Conference, the North East Athletic Conference, and the North Atlantic Conference), we should have 7 Pool B bids and 14 Pool C bids.

In 2006, these seven Pool B bids were awarded to: Aurora, Cal State East Bay, Chapman, St Scholastica, Ithaca, Salisbury and St Joseph’s (Maine). Two more schools from “Pool B” earned an at large bid in Pool C, Emory and Washington (Mo.), both of the UAA. What a difference a year makes.

Aurora, competing in the new Northern Athletics Conference (NAthCon), is having trouble this year. Cal State East Bay is off. York (Pa.) and not Salisbury is the top seed in the Capital AC post-season tourney. St Joseph’s (Maine) is competing in the North Atlantic Conference, which is expected to earn a Pool A bid in 2007.

St Scholastica is ranked #5 in the Midwest Region. The Saints are 17-3 with half of their season remaining. They play in the Upper Midwest AC, a conference that is moving its membership through the provisional stages, so not every conference game will count in the eyes of the committee this year.

Dominican won the Lake Michigan Conference (LMC) tourney in 2006 to earn that conference’s Pool A bid. Aurora from the old Northern Illinois Iowa Conference (NIIC) got a Pool B bid. But, any Northern Athletics Conference team that has NCAA hopes must look to Pool B and C this year and next. Edgewood is ranked 8th in last week’s ABCA rankings at 17-8 overall/9-3 in conference. The NAthCon tourney will be held May 11-13, but no bid awaits the winner, only the chance to rack up wins that may look better to the Regional Evaluation Committee.

Out west, Chapman continues to lead the West Region and is probably secure in that ranking. Pencil in Chapman for a bid. The only curiosity around the Panther fandom is whether Chapman hosts the West Regionals again.

This is at least ten teams looking for possibly 7 spots. Things will change next Tuesday with new regional rankings. And, when the 2007 Handbook is released, we will know if the number of Pool B bids has increased, decreased or remained the same. Keep tuned.

Just an FYI post, since I know more people besides me have been asking this question.

The NCAA’s baseball championships chair says they are working on finalizing the championships handbook and it should be released on Monday.

Since this handbook is the governing document for the Division III baseball championships, it’s a rather important piece of work. We’ll find out what is hopefully a final number for Pool B and Pool C bids, though men’s basketball this season changed said figures shortly before the playoffs.

We’ll have a story in greater detail about the handbook itself when it’s out there.

I’m trying to ponder exactly how I’m supposed to feel about Bridgewater State’s 57-1 win against Newbury on Monday afternoon.

Newbury was playing its third varsity baseball game ever, having lost the previous two by the eminently reasonable scores of 5-1 and 5-3 to Maine-Presque Isle. But the Lincoln basketball analogy and the Rockford football analogy continue to ring in the back of my head.

For the hoops-challenged, Lincoln poured it on against Ohio State-Marion in December to the tune of a 201-78 win. The Rockford football game was a 105-0 shellacking of Trinity Bible in 2003.

Both of those were games against severely outmanned clubs, as apparently was this one. (Not much of a stretch to assume a team playing its third-ever varsity game joins that group.)

Wouldn’t it have been possible, somehow, to limit the damage to something in the 40s? The low 50s? Shouldn’t the number of runs be lower than the attendance, or the game time temperature? I’m fully aware that Bridgewater State emptied its bench quite a bit and one pitcher got his first two innings of the season to protect a 47-0 lead, but I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps the heart of the Eagles’ order might’ve taken a seat as well. (The starting No. 2-3-4 hitters went a combined 18-for-24 with 26 RBI.) There are four pitchers who have thrown three innings or fewer through 14 games that might’ve been able to manage a couple innings in the outfield.

Even if you don’t want to risk a pitcher, perhaps just make sure the heart of the order comes out before the bottom of the order.

I know, I wasn’t there. An SID friend of mine earlier tonight who has been through a 70-plus-to-nothing football score reminds me that it’s hard to know what that’s like sometimes. And I’ve been to some 60-plus-to-nothing football games. This just strikes me as being worse.

But I’d like to hear what you think.

Mideast:

Presidents AC Hitter and Pitcher of the week were Mike Busin, Westminster and Kyle Wewe, Thomas More. Sophomore Kyle Wewe, also named National Pitcher of the Week, hurled his first career no-hitter as Thomas More earned a split in Saturday’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference doubleheader with Thiel. The right-hander went the distance in striking out seven and walking five as the Saints won the nightcap, 6-0. Thiel got a two-out single in the seventh inning to win the opener, 3-2. Busin batted .600 (6 for 10) with four RBI and helped Westminster (8-8, 2-4 PAC) win two out of three games in a weekend series against Waynesburg. Five of his six hits went for extra bases, including four doubles and a home run. Busin’s home run tied Friday’s game at 2-2 in the fourth inning before the Titans went on to win 10-2.

OAC Hitter of the Week, John Carroll freshman short stop Mike Carbo went 5-for-11 (.455) with six runs, two doubles and six RBI to lead the Blue Streaks to a 3-1 record last week. Pitcher, Otterbein’s Dan Remenowsky pitched seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts, two walks and scattered six hits last week to go 1-0 last week.

Heartland Baseball Hitter was Jim Swienconek, Franklin College. Franklin ’s Jim Swienconek had an impressive week at the plate for the Grizzlies and has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week. The sophomore first baseman was 9-of-14 (.643) at the plate, scoring six runs, hitting a double, and adding a home run during the week. Swienconek also collected three RBI, 13 total bases, and four stolen bases during four games last week. The sophomore was 4 of 5, including a two-run homer, with three runs scored in a 10-9 loss to Rose-Hulman. Baseball Pitcher honors went to Kyle Barnett, Hanover College. Barnett earned two victories last week and has been named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week. The sophomore went 2-0, including a nine inning complete game victory against 24 th ranked Transylvania. Barnett did not give up an earned run in eleven innings pitched for the week, while only surrendering eight hits and striking out six batters. He earned his second victory of the week on Sunday, when he pitched two scoreless innings in an exciting 9-8 last at bat victory over Spalding.

Central:

John Wagle of Augustana and Jeff Livek of Carthage were named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin baseball players of the week Tuesday after their performances during the previous week of competition. Wagle, a sophomore second baseman from Rock Island, Ill., and Rock Island High School, batted .625 in three games as the Vikings, ranked sixth in NCAA Division III, went 2-1. He had five hits in eight at-bats with seven runs scored, three doubles, one home run, six RBI, four base-on-balls and two steals. He also had a 1.375 slugging percentage with 11 total bases in eight at-bats and his on-base percentage was .750. In a 10-0 win over Loras, Wagle was one-for-two with three runs scored and two walks. He went three-for-four with one run scored, four RBI, two doubles and a home run in a 6-5 loss to Elmhurst on April 1 in game one. In game two against the Bluejays, he was one-for-two with three runs scored, two RBI, one double and two base-on-balls. The Vikings won the second game 12-2. Livek, a senior pitcher from Schaumburg, Ill., and Schaumburg High School, was the winning pitcher, as the Red Men defeated North Central, 6-1, on March 31 in the second game of a doubleheader in Naperville, Ill. Livek stopped North Central on four hits and two walks over nine innings, while striking out a career-high 12 batters. Livek improved his record to 3-1 with a 1.00 earned run average, including 38 strikeouts in 27.0 innings pitched with a .160 opponent batting average.

Webster University junior Dave Umfleet and Fontbonne University senior Dustin Baumann share the SLIAC Baseball Hitter of the Week award for March 26-April 1. Umfleet, a junior outfielder from O’Fallon, Missouri, went 6-for-7 in a doubleheader sweep of MacMurray College to open conference play. He recorded a home run and a double, scored five runs, added six RBI, and was 1-for-1 in stolen bases as the Gorloks improved to 13-8 overall. Baumann, a senior outfielder from St. Genevieve, Missouri, batted .571 (12-for-21) to lead Fontbonne to a 3-2 week. For the week, Baumann recorded three doubles, scored 10 runs, drove in six runs and stole four bases in five attempts. The Griffins (14-11, 2-2 SLIAC) defeated Millikin University and split conference doubleheaders with Greenville College and Blackburn College.

IIAC Baseball Player of the Week was Ryan Dupic, Buena Vista. Dupic, a senior pitcher/first baseman, pitched eight shutout innings in Buena Vista’s 5-1 win over Simpson, surrendering six hits and striking out five while walking just one. Offensively, Dupic hit .300 including a 2-for-3 performance in a 5-4 loss to Bethany Lutheran and a 1-for-4 performance against Simpson.

Midwest:

MIAC Player of the Week - Hamline University first-year catcher Pat O’Laughlin batted 4-for-7 with two doubles and three RBI in a pair of games against Augsburg on Saturday. In the Pipers’ 4-3 win, O’Laughlin went 2-for-4 at the plate. In the bottom of the seventh inning, O’Laughlin hit a walkoff, two-out RBI single to win the game for the Pipers. He also scored a run in the contest. In Hamline’s 6-5 loss in game one, O’Laughlin was 2-for-3 with a two-run single in the sixth to put the Pipers up 5-4. Stats for the Week: 4-for-7 hitting (.571 average), 2 2Bs, 3 RBI, 1 RS, .857 slug%. Pitcher of the week went to O’Laughlin’s teammate Kyle Foster. Foster pitched a complete game five-hitter to lead Hamline to a 4-3 win over Augsburg. Foster allowed three runs - two earned. He struck out seven and walked three. Stats for the Week: 1-0 record, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 2.57 ERA, 7 K, 3 BB

In the Midwest Conference, Jeremy Kafka , Monmouth was named Player of the Week. Kafka continued his strong season at the plate last week, banging out three hits in both of Monmouth’s contests during the week. The senior rightfielder finished the week 6-for-9 with two RBI as the Scots picked up non-conference victories over Eureka (8-6) and Iowa Wesleyan (10-6). Two of his Kafka’s hits were doubles, giving him an .889 slugging percentage for the week.

As UW-Stout went 2-2 on the week, Seth Maier hit .692, going 9-for-13 at the plate, with eight runs scored and six RBIs. He had three home runs, two doubles and a triple in the four games. His slugging percentage was 1.692 and – along with two walks and one hit by pitch – had an on-base percentage of .706. Maier had three multi-hit games and had two three-hit performances. No Pitcher of the Week was selected.

Zach Harry of Presentation College has been selected as this week’s Upper Midwest Athletic Conference player of the week. Harry was 6 for 12 (.500) last week for the Saints. In the first game of the three game weekend series with Martin Luther College in Aberdeen, Harry had a two out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game and force extra innings. Then in the bottom of the ninth, he had a two out, game winning RBI single. Presentation College sophomore Andy Bauer has been named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference pitcher of the week. Bauer picked up a complete game win over Martin Luther College last weekend by working seven innings and allowing just two earned runs with five strikeouts.

West:

Congratulations to Pomona-Pitzer’s Drew Hedman for being 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.

NWC Player of the Week was Cory Ellis, Linfield. He led the Wildcats to a 4-1 week by hitting .400 (6 for 15) with six runs batted in a and seven runs scored. He had the game winning grand slam on Sunday. NWC Pitcher of the Week - Joe DiPietro, Pacific Lutheran beat George Fox 9-1, allowing one run on only three hits in a complete game effort. He struck out five and walked three

ASC East Hitter of the week was Aaron Dalton and Pitcher of the Week was Damion Chelakis. East Texas Baptist freshman shortstop Aaron Dalton batted. 667 with six doubles over four games, including an ASC series sweep of LeTourneau. Five of Dalton’s doubles came in one game against LeTourneau, setting a new national and conference record. He walked four times and scored eight runs. Texas-Dallas junior left-hander Damion Chelakis held host Mississippi College to three hits and struck out eight batters to claim a seven-inning, complete-game victory. In the west, weekly honors went to Patrick Court, Concordia-Austin and Adam Enloe Texas Lutheran. Concordia-Austin senior third baseman Patrick Court powered an ASC sweep of Sul Ross State with three home runs and eight RBI. Court batted .583 and accounted for 16 total bases. He also stole a base. Texas Lutheran senior right-hander Adam Enloe tossed seven innings of four-hit ball with no earned runs and a season-high seven strikeouts to pick up a win over Howard Payne. Enloe walked just one batter.

The Cal State East Bay Pioneer pitching staff had a strong showing in a three-game series against Chapman on March 30-April 1. On March 30, the Pioneers lost to Chapman 4-2 in 11 innings. Pioneer hurler Sean O’Dowd scattered nine hits, allowed two earned runs, and recorded five strikeouts in 10.1 innings. The Pioneers lost to Chapman by the identical score of 4-2 on March 31. Pioneer pitcher Kyle Dunn hurled a complete game allowing three earned runs and seven hits. On April 1 the Pioneers overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat Chapman 4-3 in 10 innings. Pioneer hurler Craig Eagle had one of his best outings in 2007 allowing Chapman three runs, seven hits and recording six strikeouts in a complete performance.

New England:

NEWMAC Player of the Week Travis Anthoine, Wheaton, hit .478 (11-23) from his leadoff position during Wheaton’s 6-0 week. Posting a .565 slugging percentage and .520 on-base percentage with no strikeouts in 28 plate appearances, he scored five times, drove in three runs and stole three bases. Anthoine went a combined 4-for-7 with three runs in Saturday’s sweep over Springfield, was 3-for-4 against Brandeis, had two hits with two steals at Endicott, and recorded a hit and run in each the Southern Maine and UMass-Dartmouth games. NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week Sam Whelan, Babson, did not allow a run in two appearances this week, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He went the first four innings of a 7-1 win over Suffolk on Tuesday, giving up just one hit and walking one while striking out five. He then fired a complete-game one-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Coast Guard on Saturday, giving up just one infield single and striking out eight in seven innings. For the week, Whelan went 11 innings, giving up two singles, walking one and fanning 13. He is now 3-0 on the season.

Co-Player of the Week for the Little East were Matt Gardiner Western Connecticut and Shawn Gilblair, Eastern Connecticut. In four games, Gardiner paced the Western Connecticut attack with a .571 batting average on 7-for-14 from the plate, while driving in seven runs. He registered 19 total bases, including three triples and a home run, while recording a 1.357 slugging percentage. In the Little East Conference circuit, Gardiner hit safely in all three contests to post a .545 batting average on 6-for-11 from the dish. He went 4-for-8 with a run scored and a RBI against Southern Maine, while collecting two hits in three at bats and three RBIs at Eastern Connecticut. Gilblair led Eastern Connecticut to a 5-1 record, including a 3-0 mark in the Little East Conference. He was red-hot from the plate, registering a .625 batting average, collecting 10 hits, knocking in 12 runs, while drawing nine walks. Gilblair was even more impressive in the conference circuit, recording a torrid .857 batting average, 1.571 slugging percentage, and a .917 on-base percentage. Three of his six hits were for extra bases, including a home run, while driving in 10 RBIs and scoring six runs. Gilblair also gave up three earned runs on six hits, while fanning seven in six innings of work to pick up a victory over Western Connecticut on April 1. Co-Pitcher of the Week were Jamie Morin and Adam Gustafson. In his only appearance this week, Morin tossed a complete game nine-inning four-hitter in Keene State’s 2-0 victory over Babson College. The junior struck out five and walked just one batter in his outings to improve his record to 2-1. In his only appearance this week, Gustafson was impressive in his Little East Conference debut against intra-state rival UMass Boston hurling a complete game shutout on March 31. The Dighton, Mass. native did not surrender a run and struck out three, while allowing six hits and three walks. Gustafson retired seven of the first nine batters he faced, giving up a pair of singles and stranding the runners at first. He closed out the contest with his third 1-2-3 inning. Rookie of the Week Melvin Castillo posted a .389 batting average on 7-for-18 from the plate as Eastern Connecticut posted an overall record of 5-1, including 3-0 in the Little East. In the conference circuit, Castillo collected six hits, six runs scored, and four RBIs in three games.

Jamie Dahill, Roger Williams and Chris Scarola, Curry netted CCC honors this week. Dahill batted .526 with seven doubles . Scarola hit .356 while driving in nine runs for the week. Co Pitchers of the week were Sean Gildea, Colby Sawyer and Ian Parkinson, Endicott. Gildea hurled a three hit shutout over Wentworth. Parkinson, posted 1 1-0 record in two appearances with an ERA of 0.79. Rookie of the Week was Rick Vail, Curry with a .550 batting average and eight RBI.

North Atlantic Players of the week for the last two weeks in March were Andrew Wood, St. Joseph’s (Maine) and Wade Oliver, St. Joseph’s (ME). Andrew Keirstead, St. Joseph’s (Maine) and Travis Bass, Castleton took rookie of the week honors for the same period.

MASCAC Baseball Player of the Week was Kelly LaDow, Bridgewater State. He batted .522 (12-for-23) with 10 RBI during a 5-1 week for the Bears. He was a perfect 7-for-7 with two doubles and six RBI in the Bears’ doubleheader split with MASCAC rival Worcester State. LaDow went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk in game one of the twinbill, and capped off the day by going 4-for-4 with a double and six RBI in game two. MASCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week was Spenser Hatstat, Bridgewater State. Hatstat went 2-0 with seven strikeouts and a 0.90 earned run average in two appearances last week. He hurled three scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory in Bridgewater State’s 15-13 win at UMass-Dartmouth. Hatstat then tossed a complete-game in a 15-2 win over Becker College, as he struck out four and allowed just one earned run. On the season, Hatstat is sporting a 0.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work.

GNAC Baseball Player of Week was Travis Schwamb ,Western New England with a .538 average and a .769 Slugging percentage. Rookie of Week honors went to Matt Rondinone, Albertus Magnus with a .417 avearge in three games. Isaac Burkett, Rivier took the Baseball Pitcher of Week with a complete game four-hit victory.

Bowdoin senior 3B Nick Lawler came away with NESCAC Player of the Week honors, while Tufts junior LHP Adam Telian was named NESCAC Pitcher of the Week. Lawler hit .462 from the dish in leading the Polar Bears to two wins in three games against Trinity last week. The senior had four doubles and collected 10 total bases. Telian struck out 11 batters while allowing one unearned run in six innings of work on Friday against Bates in a 4-2 win. He struck out five straight Bobcat batters and six of seven overall in the second and third innings.

New York:

Player of the Week in the Empire was Jeremy Peters, Ithaca College. Peters batted .471 (8-for-17) with a slugging percentage of .588 in a 4-1 week for Ithaca. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored and one run batted in as the Bombers defeated New Paltz 6-1. Peters finished 3-for-3 in the first game of a doubleheader split with St. John Fisher on Saturday and 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI in the first game of a doubleheader sweep of the Cardinals on Sunday. Co-Pitcher of the Week were Shane Wolf, Ithaca and Chris Miller, Rochester Institute of Technology. Wolf improved to 2-0 with a complete-game two-hitter in a 3-0 win over St. John Fisher on Sunday. He struck out eight hitters and allowed only one runner to reach second base. Wolf started the week with two scoreless innings of one-hit relief in a 6-1 win over New Paltz in which he doubled in the winning run. Miller struck out a career-high nine batters and scattered four hits in a 4-1 RIT win over Utica on Saturday. He did not yield an earned run and did not issue a walk.

Liberty League Co-Performer of the Week were Shane Griffin, Rensselaer and Andrew Engebretson, St. Lawrence. In four games last week, Griffin batted a team-best .667 with eight hits, including a double, in 12 at bats. He also had three runs, three runs batted in and a walk. Shane was also perfect on all 12 fielding chances. Among his best performances was going 3 for 3 in a 2-1 win over St. Lawrence on Friday, going 1 for 2 with two RBI in a 16-9 loss to the Saints in the nightcap, and going 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored in a 7-6 loss to SLU on Saturday. Engebretson helped St. Lawrence gain a split of its series with 13th-ranked RPI in Troy, hitting .643 with four runs scored and four driven in. He had nine hits in 14 at bats with five doubles and a homer in the four-game series and had a slugging percentage of 1.214 and an on-base percentage of .706. He also had seven putouts in the outfield. Liberty League Pitcher of the Week - John Dreimiller, Rensselaer, pitched a complete game, four hitter with four strikeouts as Rensselaer defeated St. Lawrence, 3-1. He allowed one earned run and three walks in his 7.0 innings of work. Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Week were Ralph Rizzo, Clarkson and Spencer Marcus, Skidmore. Rizzo played in just one game this weekend against Rochester due to rain, but went 4-for-4 with an RBI. He is leading the team in hitting at .360. Marcus improved to 3-1 on the mound with a complete game 6-1 win over Vassar. He allowed just one run on four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. At the plate, he went 4-12 (.333) with two runs and two stolen bases.

Pat Cassidy, Centenary, Wilson Rosa, Mount Saint Mary and Anthony Atanasio, St Joseph’s took the weekly honors in the Skyline. Centenary College senior first baseman Pat Cassidy batted .500 (10-for-20) last week with a double, home run, eight runs scored and 11 runs batted in as the Cyclones went 5-1 (3-1 Skyline). Cassidy, who also stole two bases and did not strike out in 23 plate appearances, went 7-for-13 as Centenary won three of its first four Skyline games. He went 3-for-7 with a home run and four runs batted in in a split with Manhattanville and then went 4-for-6 with two runs batted in in a sweep of Maritime. St. Joseph’s College junior Anthony Atanasio earns Skyline Pitcher of the Week honors for the second straight week after tossing his second straight complete game shutout. Atanasio, who has given up just two runs in 28.2 innings this season, scattered six hits in earning a nine-inning shutout in the first game against Old Westbury. He struck out three and walked just two in extending his scoreless innings streak to 20. Mount Saint Mary College freshman shortstop Wilson Rosa batted .478 (11-for-23) in a 4-2 week for the Blue Knights last week. Rosa, who had three runs batted in and four runs scored, was also 4-for-5 in stolen bases. He hit safely in five of Mount Saint Mary’s six games last week while striking out just once in 25 plate appearances. He he went 4-for-5 in the first game of a Skyline doubleheader against Manhattanville.

Sebastian Fratto was selected as the NEAC Baseball Student-Athlete of the Week for the Cazenovia College Wildcats. Fratto, a junior outfielder, played a very large role in leading the Wildcats to a 2-0 record on the week. At bat, he finished the week with a .556 batting average, 5 hits for 9 at-bats, 5 run, 1 double, 1 triple, 7 RBIs, 1 walk, a .889 slugging percentage, and a .60 on-base percentage. He had 2 putouts and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

SUNYAC Pitcher of the Week, Matt Kelley - Plattsburgh, tossed a complete game two-hitter in a 5-1 victory over Oneonta State on Sunday to pick up the win and move to 2-1 on the mound. He held the Red Dragons scoreless for the final six innings while striking out five and only walking one batter. Player of the Week was Mike Zaccardo , Cortland. Zaccardo hit .538 for the week while going 7-13 at the plate. In a 17-6 victory over Fredonia, Zaccardo was 3-5 with three Home Runs and seven RBI’s. His three home runs in the game tied the Cortland State school record for home runs in a game.

In the CUNYAC, Kenny Sepulveda, John Jay enjoyed a sensational week and helped lead John Jay to a 5-0 mark. The outfielder hit .545 (12-for-22), drove in 15 runs, and swiped eight bases for the first-place Bloodhounds. The Valley Stream, New York native went 5-for-12, stole six bases, and drove in eight runs in the three-game CUNYAC sweep of Lehman. Earlier in the week, the Valley Stream graduate went 3-for-5 (4 RBI) versus Manhattanville (3/27) and was 4-for-5 (3 RBI) against USMMA (3/29). He’s already driven in 22 runs on the season and is batting .355. Adam Deltgen, Mitchell fashioned a masterful performance against CCNY in the rubber game on Sunday. The Norwich, Connecticut native tossed a complete-game shutout against the Beavers to improve to 2-1 on the season. The St. Bernard graduate scattered seven hits over his nine frames. The sophomore, who lowered his ERA to 3.32, walked four batters and fanned three in the contest. Andrew Baio, Staten Island was a key cog in both of the Dolphins conference victories against Baruch last weekend. The first baseman went 3-for-5 (double, triple, RBI) and scored two runs in the game two win on March 31st. The St. Joseph by the Sea product followed that up by going 3-for-5 with 2 RBI’s in the thrilling 12-11victory on April 1st. The freshman is batting .300 on the season.

Midatlantic

In the MA Commonwealth Conference, Brian Campbell, Widener and Jeremy Stolzfus, Messiah took the weekly honors. Widener senior Brian Campbell has enjoyed a solid campaign and today was rewarded by being named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week. Campbell earned the award after a solid performance on the mound and at the plate. He notched his first victory of the season (1-0) after firing seven strong innings Saturday in Widener’s 2-1 victory against Susquehanna. Campbell struck out five, surrendered one run and six hits and faced just six batters above the minimum for his first complete game of the year. Campbell, the Pride’s starting shortstop, also made his mark by hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, one RBI and three stolen bases. He opened batting 4-for-4 Wednesday with a double in Widener’s 5-4 victory over Marywood. Campbell had three hits and a double over the weekend as the Pride swept a three-game series from Susquehanna.

In the MA Freedom, Andrew Heard, DeSales and Caleb Calarco, King’s netted the weekly honors. Junior Andrew Heard was honored by the Freedom Conference on Monday afternoon being named the Freedom Conference Hitter of the Week. Heard was sensational at the plate this week batting .600 with a team-high 12 hits and 10 runs scored in leading the Bulldogs to a 4-1 record including four Freedom Conference wins. He started the week by stealing five bases to set the single-game record at DeSales for SB’s in a game and finished the week batting 10-for-13 (.769) with seven runs scored and four RBI’s in the three-game sweep of Delaware Valley College.
A senior, Calarco posted a pair of complete-game Freedom Conference victories over FDU-Florham and Wilkes as King’s completed an 8-1 week, including a 7-1 week in the Freedom Conference. In a 1-0 road win over FDU, Calarco tossed a five-hit 1-0 shutout win, striking out seven batters and walking three. In a 6-1 win over Wilkes, he pitched a six-hitter, striking out seven and walking just one batter.

Player of the Week for the Centennial Conference was Rob Sanzillo, Johns Hopkins. Sanzillo hit .444 in five games with seven runs scored, two homeruns, eight RBI and a slugging percentage of .778 for this week. He is also on a 12-game hit streak after connecting for at least one hit in all five games this week. Pitcher of the Week was Dan Tischler, Franklin & Marshall. Tischler recorded a win and a save in three appearances totaling eight and one-third scoreless innings of work. He allowed five hits, struck out five, and did not issue a walk. Four of the hits came in the seven-inning shutout of Muhlenberg.

Player and Pitcher of the Week in the AMCC both came from Frostburg State. Bryan Burke was a force at the plate and on the bases for the Bobcats, helping them to a 3-1 start in AMCC competition. He hit .357 for the week, going 5 for 14 at the plate, and was also highly productive once he got on base, with a perfect 6 of 6 stolen base attempts. Burke’s highlight was an RBI double which scored the game-winning run in a 2-1 decision over Penn St. Behrend. Aaron Main improved his season record to 4-2 with a pair of conference wins. He went the distance against Penn St. Behrend, striking out 11, then threw another complete game to defeat Lake Erie, fanning 4 and allowing just 5 hits and 1 earned run.

Alvernia College’s Steve Burdan was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Player of the Week for the week ending April 2nd. Burdan batted .600 (12 for 20) with ten runs, eight RBIs, seven doubles, and three home runs for the Crusaders in a 5-1 (4-1 PAC) week. Pitcher of the Week was Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Kyle Reynolds was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 2nd. Reynolds pitched in three games for the Griifins notching victories against Eastern University and Marywood University and a save against Alvernia College. For the week, Reynolds recorded seven strikeouts while allowing three runs with zero walks in just over six innings.

In the NJAC, congrats to the following players of the week: Don Reinertsen, William Paterson, Joe Augustine, Kean,Joe Cacchiola, Ramapo, and Jesus Castano, Montclair State. Reinertsen earns NJAC Player of the Week honors after hitting .667 (16-for-24) with three doubles, two triples, nine RBI and eight runs scored in five games for the Pioneers. He hit safely in all five contests and produced four multiple-hit games including a 4-for-4 performance with a double, triple, and five RBI in Paterson’s 15-1 non-conference win over Old Westbury. In the Pioneers’ 13-7 NJAC road win at NJCU, he was 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, a stole base, four RBI and three runs scored. Reinertsen currently leads the NJAC in hitting with a .565 batting average. Augustine earns NJAC Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season after earning a pair of victories on the mound for the Cougars. He opened the week by surrendering just three hits and one run while striking out nine and walking none in Kean’s 11-2 non-conference road win at Drew. He wrapped up the week by tossing a three-hit complete-game shutout while striking out seven and walking just two in the Cougars’ 7-0 NJAC road win at TCNJ. Augustine, who did not surrender an extra-base hit in 15.0 innings, currently ranks second in the NJAC in strikeouts with 40 on the season. Cacchiola earns NJAC Rookie of the Week honors after hitting .529 (9-for-17) with seven doubles, five RBI, and seven runs scored in a 5-0 week of play for the Roadrunners. He produced multiple-hit games in 4-of-the-5 contests and delivered a pair of doubles in three different games including a 3-for-5 performance with an RBI and three runs scored in Ramapo’s 17-12 NJAC win over Rutgers-Newark. He wrapped up the week by going a combined 4-for-7 with four doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in the Roadrunners’ 12-2 and 11-3 NJAC doubleheader road sweep at Rutgers-Camden. Cacchiola currently ranks third in the NJAC in on-base percentage with a mark of .545. Castano earns NJAC Rookie Pitcher honors for the second time this season after earning a pair of victories for the Red Hawks to improve his record to 4-1 overall on the season. He first came out of the bullpen to retire the final batter in the ninth inning before pitching a scoreless 10th in Montclair’s 2-1 extra-inning NJAC win over Kean. Two days later, he surrendered just four hits and one unearned run while striking out five for a complete-game 9-1 NJAC road win at Rowan. Castano currently is tied for the conference lead in victories with four on the season.

South:

The Great South Athletic Conference has released the baseball player and pitcher of the week for the week ending March 25. Maryville swept the awards as Adam Rosen was Player of the Week and Zach Smigiel was the Pitcher of the Week. Rosen batted .538, going 7-for-13 in the Scots’ three-game sweep of LaGrange. He scored four runs, had two RBIs and did not commit an error in eight chances. Rosen also added to his school record by recording his seventh save of the season. The senior leads the team and the GSAC with a .489 batting average. Smigiel pitched a complete-game 2-1 win over LaGrange. He scattered 10 hits, did not walk a batter and struck out 11 in the game. For the season, Smigiel is 6-0 with a 1.94 ERA.

York’s Santoro was named CAC Baseball Athlete of the Week. York College junior catcher Mike Santoro began his week with an 0-for-3 in the win over Johns Hopkins. He then went on a tear as he was 5-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in the win over Montclair. He finished the week hitting .632 with 12 hits in 19 at-bats. He drove in eight and scored eight with two doubles and a home run. He committed just one error in 22 attempts defensively while he allowed just two stolen bases in six games.

Andrew Pittman, Eastern Mennonite was the ODAC Player of the Week. Pittman, a sophomore from Culpepper, Va., hit a robust .917 over three games for the Royals, going 11-for-12 against conference opponents including a team high 14 total bases. Pittman was 1-for-2 with a double against Randolph-Macon, but followed that up with a 10-for-10 showing in a split with Emory & Henry. He went 5-for-5 in both contests, collecting a triple and two RBI in the second affair. The Royals’ leftfielder is now hitting .330 on the season with 12 runs batted in. Pitcher of the week was
Dave Whigham, Virginia Wesleyan. Whigham, a senior from Ocean City, Md., led VWC to an 8-1 victory over Bridgewater by tossing a complete game, allowing only two hits, one walk, one earned run and striking out a career-high 11 batters. Whigham leads the VWC pitching staff with 49 strikeouts in 40.2 innings of work. He owns a 1.33 earned run average and a 3-2 overall record.

USA South Baseball Player of the Week - Pierce Steinruck, Averett - The senior designated hitter from Barrington, Rhode Island helped the Cougars to a 2-2 record last week by batting .563 (9-for-16) with four runs scored, five RBI, five doubles and one walk. In a 7-2 loss to regionally-ranked Virginia Wesleyan, Steinruck was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and two doubles. In an 8-0 win over Bridgewater, Steinruck was 2-for-5 with a run scored. In a doubleheader spit with nationally-ranked, USA South rival, Methodist, Steinruck was 4-for-8 with three runs scored, three RBI, three doubles and one walk. Baseball Pitcher of the Week - Kenny Moreland, Christopher Newport tossed his third complete game of the season, picking up a win in the Captains’, 3-1, victory over USA South foe Ferrum. Moreland went all nine innings, giving up just one run on eight hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. The victory is Moreland’s seventh on the season.

Ricahrd Hurd, Rhodes and Hunter Owen, Millsaps have been named the SCAC Offensive Baseball Co-Players-of-the-Week for games played Monday, March 26 through Sunday, April 1. Hurd went 13-for-24 (.542) on the week with five home runs, a double, three walks, 10 runs scored and 16 RBI, leading the Lynx offense as they went 5-0 on the week, including a four-game sweep of Eastern Division foe Centre College. His slugging percentage was 1.208 on the week and he had a .593 on-base percentage. Hurd had two multi home run games on the week, driving in six in each of those contests. Owen batted an even .400 (10-for-25) in a 4-2 week for the 11th-ranked Majors, grabbing 24 total bases, 10 hits and nine RBIs off four home runs and two doubles. Owen carried a 1.294 slugging percentage and a .529 average in the huge series against SCAC Western Division foe Trinity University - a series that Millsaps gained took three of four games. He blasted all four of his home runs on the week against Trinity.