DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has announced its fifth NCAA Division III National Players of the Week for the 2006 season, with top honors going to designated hitter Rob Pietroforte of Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) and southpaw Matt Sample of Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pa.) for March 27-April 2.

Pietroforte, a righty-swinging sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., led the Blue Jays to a 3-0-1 week by batting .687 (11-16) with a double, three triples, and two home runs. He scored eight runs and drove in nine. He was 3-4 with an 8th-inning RBI single to tie Dickinson, then went 2-3 with a grand slam in a 19-4 win. He was 4-4 with two triples in one game vs. Swarthmore, and 2-5 with a home run and three runs scored in the second game. With 24 total bases on the week, he had a slugging pct. of 1.500. Pietroforte leads the Blue Jays with a .524 batting average this season.

Sample, a senior from New London, Pa., was named the Association of Division III Independents Player of the Week. During a 4-1 week for the Lions, he compiled a 2-0 record with a save, 24 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 0.54. He struck out 11 batters and allowed just two hits as Lincoln defeated Lancaster Bible 1-0, his third shutout of the season. The save came in the opening game of the Lancaster Bible doubleheader. He concluded the week with a complete-game, 11-strikeout, three-hit effort in a 13-3 win over Christendom College. Behind the senior hurler, Lincoln (11-10) has its most victories according to athletic records dating back to 1970. For the season, he is 6-3 with a 3.16 earned run average with 74 strikeouts and a no-hitter this season against Gallaudet.

Honorable mention hitters: Nick Angelini (Worcester Polytechnic) – .429 (6-14), 9 runs, 10 RBI, 4 home runs, 3 steals, 1.286 slugging pct.; Zac Bireley (Manchester) – .579 (11-19), 10 runs, 7 RBI, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 1.211 slugging pct.; Matt Andersen (Occidental) – .558 (10-18), 8 runs, 11 RBI, 2 home runs, .889 slugging pct.; Greg Ford (Keene State) – .480 (12-25), 10 runs, 11 RBI, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 1.040 slugging pct.

Honorable mention pitchers: Erik Arnesen (Grove City) – 2-0, 0.60 ERA, 15 ip, 17 strikeouts; Daniel Zeffiro (Kean) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 ip, 6 hits, 5 strikeouts vs. No. 1 TCNJ; Matt Michaylo (Scranton) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 5 hits, 13 strikeouts; Ryan Kuhlman (Johns Hopkins) – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 3 hits, 9 strikeouts; Allen Sugiyama (Pacific) – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 15 ip, 8 hits, 12 strikeouts.

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