DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending March 31. LSU senior first baseman Mason Katz was named National Hitter of the Week, while Oregon freshman left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin 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.

Katz	Irvin

Katz, a native of Harahan, La., batted .611 (11-for-18) in the Tigers' four wins last week with one double, one triple, three homers, 12 RBI and five runs scored. He hit .571 (8-for-14) in LSU's three-game sweep at Missouri with one triple, three homers, eight RBI and four runs.

His solo homer in the fourth inning of Friday's game at Mizzou proved to be the winning hit in LSU's 2-0 victory. On Saturday, Katz hit another solo shot and delivered a two-run triple to highlight LSU's 8-0 win. Katz drove in four runs on Sunday, including a three-run blast in the third inning that reduced Mizzou's lead from 5-1 to 5-4 and sparked LSU to a 6-5 comeback victory. Katz is hitting .419 on the year, and he leads the SEC with 13 homers and 49 RBI.

Irvin pitched Oregon's first complete-game shutout of the season and only allowed two runners to advance past first base in the Ducks' 6-0 victory over Washington on Saturday. He allowed just four hits, while striking out a season-high 11 batters and registering one walk.

The Yorba Linda, Calif., product found his rhythm early, fanning seven batters through the first four innings, and never let up. He struck out one in the sixth, another in the seventh, and notched a pair of punch outs in the ninth. Irvin, who owns a 3.00 season ERA, improved to 5-1 with the win. In 48.0 innings of action, the freshman has collected 27 strikeouts and has allowed just one home run.

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.

2013 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
• Feb. 19: Danny Collins, Troy (Hitter); Buck Farmer, Georgia Tech (Pitcher)
• Feb. 26: Charlie White, Maryland (Hitter); Bryce Biggerstaff, Central Arkansas (Pitcher)
• March 5: A.J. Reed, Kentucky (Hitter); Mark Appel, Stanford and Carlos Rodon, N.C. State (Pitcher)
• March 12: Cody Hudson, Austin Peay (Hitter); Frankie Vanderka, Stony Brook (Pitcher)
• March 19: Zach Fish, Oklahoma State (Hitter); Pat Young, Villanova (Pitcher)
• March 26: C.K. Irby, Samford (Hitter); Ryan Kellogg, Arizona State (Pitcher)
• April 2: Mason Katz, LSU (Hitter); Cole Irvin, Oregon (Pitcher)
• April 9: Ian Graham, UNC Asheville (Hitter); Aaron Blair, Marshall (Pitcher)
• April 16: Colin Moran, North Carolina (Hitter); Cale Elam, Wichita State (Pitcher)
• April 23: Colby Roberts, James Madison (Hitter); Harrison Musgrave, West Virginia (Pitcher)
• April 30: Trey Mancini, Notre Dame (Hitter); Matt Florer, Loyola Marymount (Pitcher)
• May 7: Mitchell Tolman, Oregon (Hitter); Aaron Nola, LSU (Pitcher)
• May 14: D.J. Stewart, Florida State (Hitter); Harrison Musgrave, West Virginia (Pitcher)
• May 21: Duncan McAlpine, Dallas Baptist (Hitter); Shane Carle, Long Beach State and Andrew Moore, Oregon State (Pitcher)