March 23, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Blair Cash
503-554-2926
College of New Jersey's Haran, Illinois College's Kielma honored
NCBWA NAMES DIVISION III
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has announced its third NCAA Division III National Players of the Week for the 2006 season, with top honors going to catcher Gerard Haran of the College of New Jersey (Ewing, N.J.) and left-handed pitcher Phil Kielma of Illinois College (Jacksonville, Ill.) for Mar. 13-19.

Haran, a junior from Old Bridge, N.J., earned New Jersey Athletic Conference honors after hitting .600 (18-for-30) with 10 doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored during the Lions' spring trip to Arizona. In eight Lion victories, he hit safely in seven contests and scored at least one run in each game. During the week he produced five multiple-hit contests, including a 5-for-6 performance with three doubles, four RBI and five runs scored in the Lions' 23-4 win over North Central. For the week, Haran produced a 1.100 slugging percentage and a .657 on-base percentage while raising his season batting average to .576.

Kielma, a sophomore from Westmont, Ill., tossed Illinois College's first no-hitter in the past two decades on March 15 when he struck out 10 over seven innings in a 10-0 victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph. The win came at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. Kielma gave up four walks in the game.

Honorable mention hitters: Josh McLeod (Widener) – .750 (9-12), 3 runs, 9 RBI, 1 double, 3 triples, 1.250 slugging pct.; Aaron Crais (Texas Lutheran) – .556 (10-18), 6 runs, 10 RBI, 1 double, 3 home runs, 1.111 slugging pct.; Mike Hart (Muhlenberg) – .714 (10-14), 9 runs, 8 RBI, 2 triples, 1.000 slugging pct.; Matt Mooney (Hartwick) – .571 (8-14), 9 runs (6 in a 30-25 win over Muhlenberg), 8 RBI, 2 doubles, .714 slugging pct.; Lee Fischer (Denison) – .593 (16-27), 11 runs, 14 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 4 steals, .852 slugging pct.

Honorable mention pitchers: Chris McDonough (Wheaton MA) – 2-0, 0.59 ERA, 15.1 ip, 14 strikeouts; Mike Jarbeau (Coast Guard) – 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7 ip, 2 hits, school-record 17 strikeouts; Brett Mahan (Central IA) – 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 14 ip, 14 hits, 14 strikeouts; Travis Beazley (Randolph-Macon) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 ip, 4 hits, 11 strikeouts; Justin Schrader (Waynesburg) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 ip, 3 hits, 11 strikeouts.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.

For more information on the NCBWA Division III Players of the Week, contact Blair Cash at George Fox University at 503-554-2926.

2006 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:
March 9: Nathan Roberts, Franklin College (Hitter); Mark Moriarty, College of St. Scholastica (Pitcher)
March 16: Troy Beaver, Juniata (Hitter), Matt Woods, Sewanee (Pitcher)
March 23: Gerard Haran, College of New Jersey (Hitter); Phil Kielma, Illinois College (Pitcher)
March 30: J.B. Sowyrda, Trinity [Texas] (Hitter); Matt Mendel, Southwestern (Pitcher)
April 6: Rob Pietroforte, Johns Hopkins (Hitter); Matt Sample, Lincoln (Pitcher)
April 13: Jake Bell, Mississippi College (Hitter); Chuck Huggins of Trinity [Texas] (Pitcher)
April 20: Rob Bittner, Guilford and Adam Laplante, Wheaton (Hitter); Daniel Besa, Texas Lutheran (Pitcher)
April 27: Danny Ruth, Hardin-Simmons (Hitter); Alex Chapple, Aurora (Pitcher)
May 4: Chris Mayerski, Wilkes (Hitter); Josh Thomas, Gwynedd-Mercy (Pitcher)
May 11: Gerard Haran, College of New Jersey (Hitter); Cody Flynn, Edgewood (Pitcher)