DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its NCAA Division II National Players of the Week awards for the week ending on March 22. Barton College senior catcher/infielder Andrew Webster is the National Hitter of the Week, while Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) sophomore pitcher Gus Varland is the National Pitcher of the Week.

Webster (Pittsboro, N.C./Northwood HS), led the Bulldogs to a 4-1 record after having a spectacular week at the plate. He collected 13 hits, including eight extra-base hits (5 2b, 3 HR), for a .765 average and seven RBI. His best outing came in Barton's lone loss, as he went 5-for-5 with two homers, two doubles and three RBI.

Varland (Maplewood, Minn./North St. Paul HS) threw the first no-hitter in recorded program history while striking out 14 in 7.0 innings in a 6-1 win over Southwest Minnesota State. He did not allow a baserunner in six of the seven innings, including retiring the first 15 hitters of the game to carry a perfect game into the sixth. Varland's 14 strikeouts were the most for CSP since 2009, falling just two shy of Jake Schmidt's record of 16, dating back to May 1, 2016. Varland is 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 42.2 IP, including a 3-1 mark with 35 strikeouts in 25.0 IP this season.

Division II Regional Players of the Week:
• Atlantic: Johnny Kesling, Fairmont State (Hitter); David Manasek, Millersville (Pitcher)
• Central: Patrick O'Connell, Augustana (S.D.) (Hitter); Gus Varland, Concordia-St. Paul (Pitcher)
• East: Don Walsh, Post (Hitter); Sam Walsh, LeMoyne (Pitcher)
• Midwest: Austin LaDoux, Grand Valley State (Hitter); Alex Phillips, Bellarmine (Pitcher)
• South: J.D. Osbourne, Tampa (Hitter); David Lebron, Tampa (Pitcher)
• South Central: Nick Griffin, Newman (Hitter); Matt Shannon, Angelo State (Pitcher)
• Southeast: Andrew Webster, Barton College (Hitter); Dylan Peppers, North Georgia (Pitcher)
• West: Daniel Pitts, Cal Poly Pomona (Hitter); Michael Fairchild, Azusa Pacific (Pitcher)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Howser Award Player of the Year, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.

2017 NCBWA Division II Players of the Week:
• Week ending Feb. 22: J.D. Osbourne, Tampa (Hitter); Donovan Armas, Lynn (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 1: Jake Walters, Quincy (Hitter); Thomas St. Clair, Lenoir-Rhyne (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 8: J.D. Osbourne, Tampa (Hitter); Trevor Abshire, Point Loma Nazarene (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 15: Adrian Tovalin, Azusa Pacific (Hitter); Joshua Payne, West Texas A&M (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 22: Andrew Webster, Barton (Hitter); Gus Varland, Concordia-St. Paul (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 29: Ryan Rogers, Lubbock Christian (Hitter); Garett King, California Baptist (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 4: Tyler Walters, Slippery Rock (Hitter); Steven Bower, North Georgia (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 11: Justin Graff-Rowe, Central Missouri (Hitter); Will Myers, Alabama-Huntsville (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 18: Cole Brooks, Saginaw Valley State (Hitter); Jason Blank, Augustana (S.D.) (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 25: Brian Parreira, USC Aiken (Hitter); John Holland, Felician (Pitcher)
• Week ending May 2: Blaine Crim, Mississippi College (Hitter); Parker Dyson, West Liberty (Pitcher)
• Week ending May 9: Chris Devery, Colorado State-Pueblo (Hitter); Sean Horner, Palm Beach Atlantic (Pitcher)