DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
has announced its fifth NCAA Division III National Players of the Week for
the 2006 season, with top honors going to designated hitter Rob Pietroforte
of Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) and southpaw Matt Sample
of Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pa.) for March 27-April 2.
Pietroforte, a righty-swinging sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., led the
Blue Jays to a 3-0-1 week by batting .687 (11-16) with a double, three triples,
and two home runs. He scored eight runs and drove in nine. He was 3-4 with
an 8th-inning RBI single to tie Dickinson, then went 2-3 with a grand slam
in a 19-4 win. He was 4-4 with two triples in one game vs. Swarthmore, and
2-5 with a home run and three runs scored in the second game. With 24 total
bases on the week, he had a slugging pct. of 1.500. Pietroforte leads the
Blue Jays with a .524 batting average this season.
Sample, a senior from New London, Pa., was named the Association of Division
III Independents Player of the Week. During a 4-1 week for the Lions, he
compiled a 2-0 record with a save, 24 strikeouts, and an earned run average
of 0.54. He struck out 11 batters and allowed just two hits as Lincoln defeated
Lancaster Bible 1-0, his third shutout of the season. The save came in the
opening game of the Lancaster Bible doubleheader. He concluded the week
with a complete-game, 11-strikeout, three-hit effort in a 13-3 win over
Christendom College. Behind the senior hurler, Lincoln (11-10) has its most
victories according to athletic records dating back to 1970. For the season,
he is 6-3 with a 3.16 earned run average with 74 strikeouts and a no-hitter
this season against Gallaudet.
Honorable mention hitters: Nick Angelini (Worcester Polytechnic)
.429 (6-14), 9 runs, 10 RBI, 4 home runs, 3 steals, 1.286 slugging pct.;
Zac Bireley (Manchester) · .579 (11-19), 10 runs, 7 RBI, 4 doubles, 1 triple,
2 home runs, 1.211 slugging pct.; Matt Andersen (Occidental) · .558 (10-18),
8 runs, 11 RBI, 2 home runs, .889 slugging pct.; Greg Ford (Keene State)
· .480 (12-25), 10 runs, 11 RBI, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 1.040 slugging
pct.
Honorable mention pitchers: Erik Arnesen (Grove City) 2-0, 0.60
ERA, 15 ip, 17 strikeouts; Daniel Zeffiro (Kean) · 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9 ip,
6 hits, 5 strikeouts vs. No. 1 TCNJ; Matt Michaylo (Scranton) · 1-0, 0.00
ERA, 7 ip, 5 hits, 13 strikeouts; Ryan Kuhlman (Johns Hopkins) · 1-0, 0.00
ERA, 7 ip, 3 hits, 9 strikeouts; Allen Sugiyama (Pacific) · 2-0, 0.00 ERA,
15 ip, 8 hits, 12 strikeouts.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college
baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of
the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's
official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
For more information on the NCBWA Division III Players of the Week, contact
Blair Cash at George
Fox University at 503-554-2926.