CHICAGO (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association (NCBWA) released its National Hitter and Pitcher of the
Week awards for the period ending May 2.
Cal State Fullerton junior catcher Kurt Suzuki and Stanford senior
infielder/outfielder Brian Hall have been named National Co-Hitters
of the Week, while South Carolina freshman LHP Arik Hempy and West
Virginia junior LHP Zac Cline were named National Co-Pitchers of
the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference
each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Suzuki reached base in his last 11 appearances and had nine consecutive
hits one shy of the Fullerton record · to help Cal State Fullerton to
a three-game sweep of Cal Poly. Suzuki batted .846 (11-for-13) in three
games and reached based in 13 of his 15 appearances. He had eight singles,
a double, a triple and a homer on the weekend and had the game-winning single
in the bottom of the ninth in Friday's 3-2 win. On the season, Suzuki is
batting a Big West Conference-best .442 and has a .545 on-base percentage.
Hall had a huge series for No. 2-ranked Stanford in a three-game sweep
of Washington State, hitting an incredible .909 by going 10-for-11 with
a double, two homers, eight RBIs, one walk and a 1.545 slugging percentage.
Hall raised his season average to .399 with nine homers, 46 RBIs and a team-high
10 stolen bases. Hall was 4-for-4 in both of the first two games of the
Washington State series, adding a homer and three RBIs in Friday night's
opener and two RBIs in Saturday's contest, while reaching base in eight
consecutive official at bats during the two contests. He was 2-for-3 with
a homer and three RBIs in Sunday's finale. Hall also had a hit (1-5, 2 RBIs)
and drove in a pair of runs with two sacrifice flies last Tuesday in a 12-8
win in 14 innings at Santa Clara as he has hit safely in 25 of his last
26 games. He finished the week with a .688 batting average (11-16), a double,
two homers, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored and a 1.125 slugging percentage.
Hempy pitched his first career complete game shutout in a 3-0 win vs.
No. 9-ranked Ole Miss to take series and earned his first career save with
three scoreless innings of relief in 7-3 win vs. the Rebels in opening game
of the series. Hempy did not allow a run in 12 innings pitched this week
and issued just two walks and four hits while striking out 13 batters. His
11 strikeouts vs. Ole Miss on Sunday is a career-high. Hempy did not allow
an Ole Miss player to reach third base in Sunday's complete game performance.
In his last 24 2/3 innings pitched, Hempy has allowed just three runs.
Cline was just four outs away from tossing a no-hitter against St. John's,
before allowing two hits in his league-leading seventh complete game of
the season. The southpaw pitched seven innings, giving up two hits and two
walks, while striking out four. The junior leads the Mountaineers with a
6-2 record and picked up his 22nd career victory to tie for seventh on the
all-time list at WVU.
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-American awards, publication and writing contests.
2004 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
• Feb. 10: Josh Brady, Texas Tech (Hitter); Jered
Weaver, Long Beach State (Pitcher)
• Feb. 17: Seth Johnston, Texas (Hitter); David Purcey, Oklahoma (Pitcher)
• Feb. 24: Brian Bixley, Eastern Michigan (Hitter); Adam Gold,
California and Jason Urquidez, Arizona State (Pitcher)
• March 2: Sean Gaston, Notre Dame and Jed Lowrie, Stanford (Hitter);
Derek Duclos, Richmond and Derek Hankins, Memphis (Pitcher)
• March 9: Ryan Frith, Southern Miss and Stephen Head, Ole Miss (Hitter);
Clay Dirks, LSU and Jim Ripley, Kansas State (Pitcher)
• March 16: Connor Robertson, Birmingham-Southern (Hitter); Cliff Russum,
Southern Miss (Pitcher)
• March 23: Jonathan Batts, UNC Wilmington and Rielly Embrey, San Diego
State (Hitter); Jarame Beaupre, Delaware and Matt Daley, Bucknell (Pitcher)
• March 30: Warner Jones, Vanderbilt (Hitter); Steve Grasley, Creighton
and Jered Weaver, Long Beach State (Pitcher)
• April 6: Grant Richardson, Washington State (Hitter); Dennis Bigley,
Oral Roberts (Pitcher)
• April 13: Brad Corley, Mississippi State (Hitter); Brian Bogusevic,
Tulane (Pitcher)
• April 20: Todd Kimling, Eastern Michigan and Daniel Stovall, New Mexico
(Hitter); Tim Layden, Duke and J.P. Howell, Texas (Pitcher)
• April 27: Nic Crosta, Santa Clara and Richard Gianotto, Miami (Hitter);
Matt Campbell, South Carolina and Zack Zuercher, Rhode Island (Pitcher)
• May 4: Brian Hall, Stanford and Kurt Suzuki, Cal State
Fullerton (Hitter); Zac Cline, West Virginia and Arik Hempy, South Carolina (Pitcher)
• May 11: Justin Holmes, Georgia and Lee McLean, UNC Wilmington
(Hitter); Tim Lincecum, Washington and Jered Weaver, Long Beach State (Pitcher)
• May 18: Steve Cavarati, Ohio State and Eric Nielsen, UNLV (Hitter);
Mike Rogers and Vern Sterry, N.C. State (Pitcher)
• May 25: Josh Ford, Baylor and Andy Hudak, Bowling Green (Hitter);
Greg Bunn, East Carolina and Jason Windsor, Cal State Fullerton (Pitcher)