March 20, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Montoro
304-293-2821
Jankowski hits. 600; Stratton fans 17
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NCBWA NAMES DIVISION I
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending March 18. Stony Brook junior outfielder Travis Jankowski was named National Hitter of the Week, while Mississippi State junior right-hander Chris Stratton 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.

Jankowski Stratton

Jankowski batted .600 (9-for-15) in a 4-1 week for the Seawolves, while also reaching base at a .714 clip and slugging 1.133. The centerfielder also recorded 14 putouts and an assist with no errors for a perfect fielding percentage. The Lancaster, Pa., native accounted for 10 runs, scoring seven times and driving in three more out of the leadoff spot, and went 5-for-6 on steals attempts.

The junior went 3-for-5 against Iona on Wednesday and then reached base in all seven appearances, including a two-run home run, in a doubleheader sweep of Yale on Sunday. He finished the week with three doubles, a triple and the four-bagger.

Stratton registered an SEC season-high and career-best 17 strikeouts and four hits over 8.2 innings in a remarkable no-decision start at No. 10 LSU. Matched with LSU ace Kevin Gausman, the Tupelo, Miss., native struck out all nine starters in the LSU lineup, fanned two Tiger batters three times each and recorded a trio of three-strikeout innings. His 17 strikeouts are the most by a Bulldog pitcher since 1992.

He held LSU to .138 hitting in the game. At one stretch he retired 16 consecutive batters, 11 via strikeout. Stratton leads the SEC with 44 strikeouts and the team with 29.2 innings pitched.

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

2012 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Feb. 21: William Arnold, Central Michigan (Hitter); Robert Huber, Duke (Pitcher)
Feb. 28: Johnny Coy, Wichita State (Hitter); Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State (Pitcher)
March 6: Mason Katz, LSU (Hitter); Brian Holmes, Wake Forest (Pitcher)
March 13: Daniel Bowman, Coastal Carolina (Hitter); Michael Morin, North Carolina (Pitcher)
March 20: Travis Jankowski, Stony Brook (Hitter); Chris Stratton, Mississippi State (Pitcher)
March 27: Max Muncy, Baylor (Hitter); Sean Newcomb, Hartford (Pitcher)
April 3: Alex Swim, Elon (Hitter); Bobby Wahl, Ole Miss (Pitcher)
April 10: Richie Shaffer, Clemson (Hitter); Sam Moll, Memphis (Pitcher)
April 17: Beau Amaral, UCLA (Hitter); Henry Sisson, Davidson (Pitcher)
April 24: Alex Blandino, Stanford (Hitter); Steven Hill, Penn State and Andrew Thurman, UC Irvine (Pitcher)
May 1: Derek Gibson, Southeast Missouri (Hitter); Kevin Ferguson, Northeastern (Pitcher)
May 8: Goose Kallunki, Utah Valley (Hitter); Andrew Heaney, Oklahoma State (Pitcher)
May 15: Pablo Bermudez, FIU (Hitter); Ross Stripling, Texas A&M (Pitcher)
May 22: Ryan Padilla, New Mexico (Hitter); Mark Appel, Stanford and Tyler Duffey, Rice (Pitcher)