April 12, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Blair Cash
503-554-2926
Rhode Island College's Cardoso, College of N.J.'s Buskett honored
NCBWA NAMES DIVISION III
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) – In a week that saw 10 different hitters and nine different pitchers receive votes, young shortstop Josh Cardoso of Rhode Island College and southpaw Bob Buskett of the College of New Jersey emerged as winners of the NCAA Division III Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for April 2-8 as chosen by representatives of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Cardoso, a sophomore from Dartmouth, Mass., led RIC to a 3-0 mark in three Little East Conference games with a .714 (10-for-14) batting average, seven RBIs, six runs scored, a pair of home runs, a triple, and a 1.214 slugging percentage. On April 5, he went 4-for-5 with his first career multiple-homer game, a season-high five RBIs, and two runs scored, to lead the charge as the Anchormen overpowered conference foe UMass-Dartmouth 13-3. He continued his white-hot hitting in a doubleheader against UMass-Boston over the weekend. He was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI to lift RIC to a 6-4 victory, while adding three hits, including a triple, two runs scored and an RBI as the Anchormen took the nightcap 9-4. The Little East Conference Player of the Week, Cardoso sits atop the conference standings in batting average (.491), slugging percentage (.825), on-base percentage (.561), and runs scored (21), while sharing the lead in home runs (4).

Buskett, a junior from Trenton, N.J., posted a 2-0 record with a 0.60 ERA in two starts for the week, allowing nine hits in 15.0 innings of work with 10 strikeouts. He first surrendered just three hits and no earned runs in seven innings while striking out three in TCNJ’s 8-2 non-conference win over Johns Hopkins. He wrapped up the week by surrendering six hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking none in eight innings of work during the Lions’ 12-1 NJAC road victory at New Jersey City University . Buskett is the second different Lion to earn New Jersey Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors.

Honorable mention hitters: Andersen Gardner (SUNY-Cortland) - .800 (8-10), 1 hr, 5 RBI, 5 runs, 1.100 slg pct.; Andrew Damewood (Texas-Tyler) - .600 (9-15), 1 hr, 8 RBI, .800 slg pct; Michael Simpson (Hardin-Simmons) - .385 (5-13), 4 hr, 11 RBI, 5 runs, 1.308 slg pct.; Zach Mandelblatt (Pomona-Pitzer) - .545 (6-11), 2 hr, 7 RBI, 1.091 slg pct.; Jon Whiteside (Whitworth) - .700 (7-10), 2 2b, 1 hr, 3 RBI, 5 runs, 1.200 slg pct.; Bill Mercurio (Rutgers-Newark) - .533(8-15), 4 2b, 1 hr, 6 RBI, 8 runs, 1.000 slg pct.; Tony Konicek (Gustavus Adolphus) - .667 (6-9), 3 2b, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1.000 slg pct.; David Divine (Shenandoah) - .455 (5-11), 1 2b, 4 hr, 8 RBI, 4 runs, 1.636 slg pct.; Jason Fosler (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) - .667 (6-9), 2 2b, 1 hr, 5 RBI, 3 runs, 1.222 slg pct.

Honorable mention pitchers: Taylor DuFrene (Shenandoah) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 2 hits, 14 strikeouts; Garrett Nix (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 hit, 9 strikeouts; Rick Stromgren (Keene State) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts; Brent Mahan (Central IA) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts; Andrew Koncen (Centenary NJ) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 5 hits, 9 strikeouts; Ryan Campbell (Texas-Tyler) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 7 hits, 4 strikeouts; Tyler Wolfe (Manchester) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 5 hits, 9 strikeouts; Todd Mathison (St. Olaf) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 3 hits, 8 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. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Howser Award Player of the Year, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.

2007 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:
• March 8: Jake Shandri, Wartburg (Hitter); Bill Dictus, Edgewood (Pitcher)
• March 15: Pete Moore, Moravian (Hitter); Lee Boyse, Coe (Pitcher)
• March 22: Rob Sumner, New Jersey City (Hitter); Jake Dennstedt, SUNY-Brockport (Pitcher)
• March 29: Jake Shandri, Wartburg (Hitter); Xander Jones, Ohio Wesleyan (Pitcher)
• April 5: Richard Hurd, Rhodes; Don Reinertsen, William Paterson; Kyle Sherman, Ohio Wesleyan (Hitter); Kyle Wewe, Thomas More (Pitcher)
• April 12: Josh Cardoso, Rhode Island College (Hitter); Bob Buskett, College of New Jersey (Pitcher)
• April 19: Adam Evanoff, Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Hitter); Sam Heaps, Elizabethtown College (Pitcher)
• April 26: Jimmy Fernandez, Allegheny (Hitter); Tim Kiely, Trinity (Pitcher)
• May 3: Tim Rowe, Rockford College (Hitter); Peter Reyes, SUNY-Old Westbury (Pitcher)
• May 10: Tommy Schmidt, Lawrence (Hitter); Fabian Gomez, Rockford College (Pitcher)