DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 9.

Buckner	Blair

West Virginia junior outfielder Grant Buckner was named National Hitter of the Week, while San Diego junior right-hander Kyle Blair was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Buckner, an Elkview, W. Va. native, finished 8-for-12 with one double, four home runs, 14 RBI, seven runs scored and 21 total bases as the Mountaineers outscored the Irish, 38-14, last weekend. Buckner's most notable performance came in game one of last Saturday's doubleheader, as he drove in 10 runs to break the single-game school record of nine RBI held by former three players. He also became the fifth Mountaineer to hit three home runs in one game, capping his record-breaking effort with a grand slam in WVU's 22-6 rout over the Fighting Irish. Buckner currently holds a 14-game hitting streak that began on April 17 against Louisville. During his streak, he is batting .475 with six home runs, 22 RBIs, eight doubles and 16 runs scored.

Blair, a junior from Monte Serno, Calif., took a no-hitter 8.2 innings against No. 22 Portland this past Friday before surrendering a double that broke up the no-no bid. Blair had the best performance of his career in a key Friday night West Coast Conference contest. Blair only allowed three bases runners, via a walk through the first eight innings, and at one point he struck out the side in back-to-back innings, fourth and fifth, en route to his season-high 15 strikeouts. He was just one strikeout away from tying himself and Brian Matusz for the USD single-game record of 16. Blair is now 7-3 with an ERA of 2.87 and leads the team with 97 strikeouts.

Pro-Line Athletic, owned by Badger Sport, supplies the cap and uniforms to several Division I college teams. This is the sixth season Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA's Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line or Badger Sports, visit their Web sites at prolineathletic.com and badgersport.com.

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 Pro-Line Athletic Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.

2010 Pro-Line Athletic Players of the Week:
• Feb. 23: Zack MacPhee, Arizona State (Hitter); Matt Bywater, Pepperdine (Pitcher)
• March 2: Brian Fletcher, Auburn (Hitter); Jason Mitchell, Texas-Arlington (Pitcher)
• March 9: Mark Micowski, Georgia State (Hitter); Michael Goodnight, Houston (Pitcher)
• March 16: Pat Biserta, Rutgers (Hitter); Billy Barber, Richmond (Pitcher)
• March 23: Hunter Morris, Auburn (Hitter); Teddy Kaufman, USF (Pitcher)
• March 30: Mark Castellitto, Gonzaga (Hitter); Randy Fontanez, USF (Pitcher)
• April 6: Austin Wates, Virginia Tech (Hitter); Andrew Barbosa, USF (Pitcher)
• April 13: Steve McQuail, Canisius (Hitter); Greg Gonzalez, Fresno State (Pitcher)
• April 20: Drew Lee, Morehead State (Hitter); Cole Green, Texas (Pitcher)
• April 27: Jake Magner, North Dakota (Hitter); Kendall Lewis, Eastern Michigan (Pitcher)
• May 4: Preston Springer, Wichita State (Hitter); Justin LaTempa, Oregon (Pitcher)
• May 11: Grant Buckner, West Virginia (Hitter); Kyle Blair, San Diego (Pitcher)
• May 18: Tony Nix, UC Riverside (Hitter); C.J. Huyett, Old Dominion (Pitcher)
• May 25: Darnell Sweeney, UCF (Hitter); Andrew Foushee, Presbyterian (Pitcher)