DALLAS (NCBWA) – Shortstop Jim Barossi of Washington College (Md.) and strikeout artist Justin Schrader of Waynesburg (Pa.) College have been named the 2005 NCAA Division III National Hitter of the Week and Pitcher of the Week for March 7-13 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Barossi, a senior from Langhorne, Pa., got off to a great start at the plate during the week as the Shoremen opened their season with a 4-2 trip in Cocoa, Fla. In six games, he hit .714 (15-21), collecting seven doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 RBI, and 12 runs scored. He had an on-base percentage of .750, and with 27 total bases, his slugging percentage was 1.286. Barossi was the Centennial Conference Hitter of the Week.

Schrader, a junior from Washington, Pa., went 2-0 on the hill for the Yellow Jackets during their spring break trip to Florida, allowing just one run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA), two walks, and six hits while striking out 25 batters. He allowed one run and fanned 11 in a 4-1 win over Ursinus, then blanked Medaille 7-0 while striking out 14. Schrader was the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Honorable mention hitters: Michael Simpson (Hardin-Simmons) - .652 (15-23), 3 doubles, 1 home run, 11 runs, 12 RBI; Will Groff (SUNY-Cortland) - .609 (14-23), 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 12 runs, 7 RBI; Mike Farrell (Baldwin-Wallace) - .478 (11-23), 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 runs, 14 RBI.

Honorable mention pitchers: Ray DeVaul (Penn State-Behrend) – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12.1 ip, 8 strikeouts; Dave Hall (Richard Stockton) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 3 hits, 14 strikeouts; Gordon Walters (Texas-Dallas) – 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7 ip, 12 strikeouts.

In another note of interest, Doug Garner of Millsaps became the winningest pitcher in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference history with his 29th victory, a 10-2 win over Trinity (Texas) on Saturday.

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