DALLAS (NCBWA) – The nation’s first no-hitter of the season and a huge plate outing in a Northwest Conference series led Frostburg State University senior hurler Clayton Freimuth and University of Puget Sound senior outfielder Connor Savage to the opening National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Division III Player of the Week honors of the 2015 season.

Freimuth, a left-handed starting pitcher from Dallas, Texas, notched the new year’s first no-hitter Feb. 21 during a 3-0 non-conference win over Guilford College. His seven-inning effort, which included 14 strikeouts and only three walks allowed, allowed the Bobcats to resume a perfect start to their year as they swept past the Quakers over the weekend. Freimuth’s no-no is part of a strong beginning to his senior campaign, as he’s made two appearances on the mound this season and has not allowed a run in eight innings of work.

Savage, a native of Bothell, Wash., was part of an offensive juggernaut for the Loggers’ offense in a weekend Northwest Conference series win over Lewis and Clark Feb. 21 and 22. In the midst of 29 runs being plated by UPS, the NWC Hitter of the Week went nine-of-15 with a.625 on-base and .933 slugging percentage. Savage, during the doubleheader portion of the series Feb. 21, was one-for-five in a 10-3 series-opening win and came back in the nightcap by going four-for-four with two runs, a walk and a stolen base in a 5-4 second-game loss. In the series-win-clinching 15-3 victory Feb. 22, he was four-for-six with four runs scored, three RBI, a triple, and a home run, lacking only a double for the cycle. He also had another walk and stolen base in the weekend’s last game, too.

Honorable Mention Hitters: Peter Newman, Wheaton (Ill.): Went seven-for-10 (.700) with five runs, three RBI, two walks and three stolen bases for the Thunder. He was two-for-three with two runs, a walk and two stolen bases against Rhodes on February 20, followed by a two-for-four performance against Webster later in the day. He ended the weekend by going three-for-three with three runs, three RBI, a walk and a stolen base in an 11-6 win over Southwestern (Texas) on Feb. 21; Blake Bonnin, Texas-Tyler: Helped Patriots go 2-1 in the Sul Ross State series hitting .600 in three games, scoring four runs while leading the team with six RBIs.

Honorable Mention Pitchers: Seth Davis, Augustana (Ill.): Pitched the Vikings to a 9-0 shutout of Brandeis on February 22. He went all nine innings with 15 strikeouts, two walks and only gave up three hits; Tyler Lamers, Louisiana College: Tossed a complete-game five-hit shutout in a head-to-head matchup against returning all-region pitcher Cody Whitley of LeTourneau, leading the Wildcats to a key 1-0 win in game one of their series against the YellowJackets. With the win, Lamers became the first freshman in LC history to throw a complete game shutout in his first career American Southwest Conference start.

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