DALLAS (NCBWA) – Shortstops Garner Wetzel of Millsaps College and Dave Sica of Rutgers University-Newark and no-hit author Brian Schutzbach of Monmouth College (Ill.) have been named the 2005 NCAA Division III Co-National Hitters of the Week and Pitcher of the Week for March 14-20 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Wetzel, a junior from Gulfport, Miss., led the Majors to a 4-0 record, including a two-game sweep of SCAC Western Division foe Hendrix College. He was a combined 11-18 (.611) at the plate with 11 runs scored, 15 runs batted in, and a 1.167 slugging pct. He added to his conference-leading home run total by blasting three on the week, including a game-winning three-run shot against cross-town rival Belhaven College, along with a double, four walks, no strikeouts, and four stolen bases in as many attempts. He had back-to-back 5-RBI games against Belhaven and Hendrix. For the season, he is hitting .455 with 8 home runs, 35 RBIs, 33 runs scored, and 12 steals. Wetzel was the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week.

Sica, a junior from Lyndhurst, N.J., batted .706 with a 1.353 slugging percentage and an .808 on-base percentage for the Scarlet Raiders during their spring break trip to California. In five contests, he recorded four multiple-hit games and walked eight times. He also notched three doubles, four triples, five RBI, and six runs scored in action on the West Coast. Defensively, he handled 32 chances at his shortstop position without an error while helping to turn three double plays. For the season, he is batting .520. Sica was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Schutzbach, a freshman southpaw from New Lenox, Ill., pitched what is believed to be only the third no-hitter in the 137-year history of Fighting Scots baseball when he blanked Augustana (Ill.) College 2-0 on St. Patrick's Day at Monmouth's Glasgow Field. He recorded strikeouts on eight of the final nine outs on his way to 12 strikeouts in the seven-inning game. The only other loss for Augustana, 10-2, came in Florida on March 11 when Schutzbach and the Fighting Scots beat them 5-2 in a nine-inning game! His current season stats are 2-1, 2.74 ERA, 23 innings, 29 strikeouts, 10 walks, opponents' average is .190. Schutzbach and Monmouth compete in the Midwest Conference, which does not begin its Players of the Week selections until March 28.

Honorable mention hitters: Julian Williams (Texas-Tyler) - .667 (12-18), 2 doubles, 4 runs, 8 RBI, .778 slugging pct.; Drew Shamrock (Denison) - .542 (13-24), 1 double, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 7 runs, 11 RBI, 1.040 slugging pct.

Honorable mention pitchers: Brian Manering (Benedictine IL) – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 14 ip, 2 cg, 6 hits, 11 strikeouts; Joe Vladeck (Amherst) – 3-0, 0.53 ERA, 17 ip, 17 strikeouts; Todd Kindler (Millsaps) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 ip, 5 hits, 12 strikeouts

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