DALLAS (NCBWA) – Colleges in western Pennsylvania dominated
the ninth NCAA Division III National Hitter and Pitcher of the
Week honors as third baseman Matt Bittner of Pennsylvania
State University-Behrend and left-hander Max Henry of Saint
Vincent College respectively earned the awards for the week of April
25-May 1, 2011, as voted on by a panel of D-III members of the
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Bittner, a sophomore from Lancaster, N.Y., crushed three much-needed
home runs for the Lions, who rode a four-game winning streak into
the No. 3 seed for the upcoming conference tournament. He batted
.625 (10-14) for the week, including a pair of doubles and a triple
that contributed to a 1.643 slugging percentage. He also drove in
15 runs and scored eight in the undefeated week. In a 12-3, 10-6
sweep of Medaille, he went 5-for-8 with three runs scored and five
RBIs. As the Lions swept Pitt-Bradford 20-16 and 10-0, he went 3-for-4
with a double, a home run, and two runs scored in each game, while
driving in six runs in the opener and four in the nightcap. Bittner
was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Player of
the Week.
Henry, a freshman from Latrobe, Pa., was 2-0 on the week for
the Bearcats, allowing just one run on four hits in 11 2/3 innings
for an 0.77 ERA while recording 18 strikeouts. He fired a two-hitter
in a 4-1 conference win over Bethany Monday, taking a no-hitter
into the sixth and setting a new Saint Vincent seven-inning record
with 13 strikeouts. On Friday, he earned a relief victory with 4
2/3 scoreless innings and five strikeouts in a 7-5 win over Franciscan.
Henry was named the Presidents' Athletic Conference Pitcher of the
Week
Honorable Mention Hitters: Andrew Thole (Thomas More)
- .700 (7-10), 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 6 runs, 1.900 slugging pct.;
Chris Sweeney (King's PA) - .579 (11-19), 5 doubles, 3 home runs,
8 RBI, 12 runs, 1.316 slugging pct.; Ethan Rieker (Susquehanna)
- .667 (14-21), 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, 7 runs, 1.048 slugging
pct.; Ben Kuebbing (Transylvania) - .556 (10-18), 1 double, 3 home
runs, 10 RBI, 7 runs, 1.111 slugging pct.; Andrew Fatse (Western
New England) - .571 (8-14), 2 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 2 runs,
.929 slugging pct.; Nick Skala (Concordia-Chicago) - .607 (17-28),
2 doubles, 2 home runs, 11 RBI, .893 slugging pct.; Jeff Lynch (Johns
Hopkins) - .480 (12-25), 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs,
.980 slugging pct.
Honorable Mention Pitchers: Reggie Kock (Buena Vista)
- 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 1 hit, 11 strikeouts; Andrew Sinon
(Gwynedd-Mercy) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 1 hits, 12 strikeouts;
Chris Phelan (Farmingdale State) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg,
3 hits, 11 strikeouts); Zack Hurley (Daniel Webster) - 1-0, 0.00
ERA, 8.0, 1 CG, 3 hits, 2 strikeouts; Tom Schaberl (John Carroll)
- 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts); Kyle Smith
(SUNY-Brockport) - 1-0, 2.57 ERA, 7.0 ip, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts;
Steve Sitterly (Aurora) - 2-0, 2.45 ERA, 14.2 ip, 1 cg, 13 strikeouts.
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2011 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:
• March 6: Kevin Brashears, Shenandoah
(Hitter); Matt McAllister of Penn State-Abington (Pitcher)
• March 13: Michael Pascarella, Pittsburgh-Bradford
(Hitter); Lee Schurlknight, Sewanee (Pitcher)
• March 20: Jonathan Mason, Bridgewater
(Hitter); Josh Scott, Baldwin-Wallace (Pitcher)
• March 27: Dan Haugh, Wheaton (Hitter);
Mike McManus, Mt. St. Vincent's (Pitcher)
• April 3: Trent Svehla, Simpson (Hitter);
Mark DiTomasso, Western New England (Pitcher)
• April 10: Ryan Darner, Thomas More
(Hitter); Travis Ratliff, SUNY-Cortland (Pitcher)
• April 17: Brandon O'Connell, Wisconsin-Stout
(Hitter); Sean White, Dickinson (Pitcher)
• April 24: John Snyder, Marietta (Hitter);
Mike Russo, Kean (Pitcher)
• May 1: Matt Bittner, Penn State-Behrend
(Hitter); Max Henry, Saint Vincent (Pitcher)
• May 8: Mike Nodzenski, Grinnell (Hitter);
Joe Sweeney, Illinois Wesleyan (Pitcher)
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