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April 28, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Kevin Smith 330-263-2374 |
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| Coleman, Weirather and Ward Jr. honored |
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| NCBWA NAMES DIVISION III NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | ||
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DALLAS (NCBWA) – The first three-homer game in over a decade for one of NCAA Div. III's elite programs, a perfect game, and a three-homer week warranted the week nine National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III Hitter, Pitcher, and Rookie of the Week awards, respectively. This week's selections were honored for games played April 19-25. Hitter of the Week: State University of New York College at Cortland senior Daniel Coleman slashed .727 (8-for-11)/.786/2.000 with four homers, two doubles, a walk, 14 RBI, and six runs scored during a 3-1 weekend for the Red Dragons. Coleman became the first Cortland player since 2007 to hit three homers in a game, doing so in a 22-1 win over State University of New York College at Oneonta on Saturday. In that game, Coleman finished 4-for-4 with seven RBI. A day earlier against State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, Coleman was 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles, and seven RBI during an 18-4 win. Coleman handled six fielding chances over the weekend with no errors. Of note, Coleman's the fifth Cortland player to earn the NCBWA Div. III Hitter of the Week honor, and that's the second-most all-time. The NCBWA began sponsoring Div. III weekly awards in 2003. Honorable Mention Hitter: Jake Nardone, So., 1B, Endicott College - was a force at the plate leading Endicott to doubleheader sweep against Wentworth Institute of Technology. In Saturday's twin bill, he combined for five hits in six at bats, three of which were home runs, and recorded nine RBI. Nardone tied the Gulls' single-game record with two home runs, while his six runs batted in are tied for sixth all-time in a single-game. For the week, he batted .833 with a 2.333 slugging percentage. Pitcher of the Week: Grinnell College senior Brock Weirather tossed the third perfect game at the Div. III level this season and the 18th since 2007. Weirather needed just 83 pitches to complete the 13-0 seven-inning victory against Knox College. He struck out 14 batters – the fifth-highest total in Grinnell history – and the perfect game was the program's second. The two-way player hit .563 during the four-game set, going 9-for-16 with a homer, triple, double, eight RBI, and seven runs scored. Honorable Mention Pitcher: Tate Ostrowski, Jr., Grove City College – Threw a perfect game for Grove City in Friday's 8-0 seven-inning game-one win over Bethany College (W.Va.). Ostrowski struck out 10, improved to 6-1 this spring, and lowered his ERA to 1.89. Rookie of the Week: St. John Fisher College freshman outfielder James Ward Jr. helped lead the Cardinals to a perfect 6-0 record last week, as Fisher extended its lead atop the Empire 8 standings with a sweep of Houghton College and four straight wins over Elmira College. Ward was 8-for-17 during the week with three home runs, a triple, 11 RBI, and eight runs scored. The first-year outfielder belted two home runs in a sweep of Elmira on Friday and had at least two RBI in four of Fisher's six games. 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. 2021 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week: 2021 NCBWA Division III Players of the Month: |
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