CHICAGO (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its National Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for the period ending May 6th. Middle Tennessee State junior righthander Dewon Brazelton earned Pitcher of the Week honors, while Chris Burke of Tennessee and Aurelio Jackson of Sacramento State were named Co-Hitters of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Brazelton

Burke

Jackson

Brazelton pitched his eighth complete game of the season in a 5-1 win over Western Kentucky on May 4 in which he struck out a career high 16 batters. He allowed only three hits in the contest and walked just one. The strikeout tally in the game also made Brazelton the single season strikeout leader at Middle Tennessee (currently with 133). He also became the first pitcher in Middle Tennessee history to reach the 300 strikeout plateau for his career. Brazelton's record now stands at 11-1 and his ERA is 1.25.

Burke went 10-for-21 (.476) last week in five games against nationally-ranked opponents, as the Volunteers split a pair of games with No. 15 Arizona State and swept a three-game series against No. 9 Ole Miss. Six of his 10 hits went for extra bases with two homers, two triples and two doubles (a 1.048 slugging percentage). Burke also scored 10 runs, walked four times with one strikeout and stole two bases. He also became Tennessee's all-time leader in hits, runs scored, singles, doubles and triples over the weekend.

Jackson came within one plate appearance of tying the Division I record for consecutive times on base. The senior reached an impressive 16-straight times dating back to April 29 (2-for-2 with a pair of walks vs. Cal Poly) before he laid down a sacrifice bunt on Sunday. In hits 28 times to the plate last week, he reached first base on 22 occasions. Jackson began the week by going 3-for-3 and being hit twice against Hawaii. He then was 3-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and two intentional walks in Sacramento State's upset of Stanford. Jackson stretched the streak to 16-straight plate appearances when he opened the game at UC Riverside on Friday by being hit by a pitch. He finished the week 12-for-19 (.632) with nine runs scored and five stolen bases.