DALLAS (NCBWA) – Illinois Wesleyan University senior
Pat Mollo and Macalester College sophomore
Cole Change were named Division III National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Hitter and Pitcher of the
Week for the period of April 3-9.
Mollo, a catcher from Naperville, Ill., batted .687 (11-for-16)
with 11 runs, two doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.750 slugging
percentage for the 4-0 Titans last week. The span for the Collegiate
Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Hitter of the Week was highlighted
by a three-home run game in a 16-0 win over Carroll on April 9 where
he went 4-for-4 with four runs and four RBI. He was 3-for-5 with
three runs, four RBI, one double and one home run in a 30-8 win
over the Pioneers in game one of a double header on April 8. In
game two, he was 3-for-4 with three runs, five RBI, one home run
and two walks in leading the Titans to a 23-12 win. On April 4,
he helped lead Illinois Wesleyan to a 13-1 win over Millikin by
going 1-for-3 with one run, two RBI, one double and one walk.
Chang, a right-hander from Pleasantville, N.Y., made history
at Macalester last week with a no-hitter in the Scots' 5-0 victory
over Augsburg April 7. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s
Pitcher of the Week kept the Auggies off-balance all game, recording
12 fly-ball outs, six groundouts and three strikeouts in seven innings.
The only blemishes were a walk and four hit-batsmen, a by-product
of the type of movement on Chang's pitches that day. Chang's no-hitter
is the first in head coach Matt Parrington's 21 years at the school.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Mike Hammel (Jr.,
OF, DePauw): Made his presence felt during the Tigers’ 3-1 NCAC
West series sweep at Wittenberg last weekend as he combined to hit
9-for-13 (.692) in the series with seven extra-base hits for a stunning
1.923 slug¬ging percentage. Hammel, who was limited to pitching
duties in the series opener, went 3-for-5 in each of the next three
games, highlighted by smacking one triple and blasting two homers
in the 8-7 win April 9. In the three games combined at the plate,
he hit four homers, two doubles and the one triple, while also scoring
seven times and driving in 10.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Josh Fleming (Jr.,
LHP, Webster): Recorded a pair of conference wins last week to move
to 4-0 on the season. Fleming started the week with six scoreless
innings of one-hit ball in a win over MacMurray, striking out nine.
He followed with seven innings of work against Iowa Wesleyan, holding
the Tigers to just one run and two hits while striking out nine.
On the week Fleming recorded a 0.69 earned-run average over 13 innings
pitched, striking out 18 while walking none and allowing just three
hits.
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 Dick Howser Player
of the Year Award, 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 III Players of the Week:
• Week ending March 5: Ben Buerkle, St. Mary's (Minn.) (Hitter); Paul Wetmore, Western New England (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 12: Kyle Wenger, Delaware Valley (Hitter); Peter Maybach, Salve Regina (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 19: Austin Ledin, Bethel (Hitter); R.J. Brown, St. Mary's (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 26: Chad Schultz, Manchester (Hitter); Jonathon Stepp, Blackburn (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 2: Zach Gartner, East Texas Baptist (Hitter); Dan Williams, Stevenson (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 9: Pat Mollo, Illinois Wesleyan (Hitter); Cole Change, Macalester (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 16: Ryan Hetherington, Carroll (Hitter); Jimi Keating, Spalding (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 23: Will Gorman, RIT (Hitter); Garrett Pelko, Misericordia (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 30: Vince Rebar, Marywood (Hitter); John Catchmark, Alvernia (Pitcher)
• Week ending May 7: Pat Birrer, Otterbein (Hitter); Caleb Boushley, UW-La Crosse (Pitcher)
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