NCBWA NAMES DIVISION IIINATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) With an increasing number of great performances, it is getting harder for voters to single out the very best, and never was that more evident than this past week when there was an unprecedented three-way tie for NCAA Division III Hitter of the Week for March 26-April 1 among Richard Hurd of Rhodes College, Don Reinertsen of William Paterson University, and Kyle Sherman of Ohio Wesleyan University. No-hit hurler Kyle Wewe of Thomas More College was named Pitcher of the Week, as chosen by representatives of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.


Hurd, a junior outfielder from Marietta, Ga., went 13-for-24 (.542) with five home runs, a double, three walks, 10 runs scored and 16 RBI, leading the Lynx to a 5-0 week, including a four-game sweep of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Eastern Division foe Centre College. His slugging percentage was 1.208 and he had a .593 on-base percentage. Hurd had two multi-home run games on the week, driving in six in each of those contests. For the season, Hurd leads the SCAC in batting average (.450), runs (48), hits (58) and total bases (93). In addition, he is second in triples (4) and third in the following; slugging percentage (.721), on-base percentage (.520), home runs (6) and RBIs (49) and is seventh in stolen bases (9). Hurd was the SCAC Co-Player of the Week.


Reinertsen, a senior outfielder from Swartzwood, N.J., batted .667 (16-for-24) with three doubles, two triples, nine RBI and eight runs scored in five games for the Pioneers. He hit safely in all five contests and produced four multiple-hit games, including a 4-for-4 performance with a double, triple, and five RBI in Paterson's 15-1 non-conference win over Old Westbury. In the Pioneers' 13-7 New Jersey Athletic Conference road win at New Jersey City, he was 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, a stolen base, four RBI and three runs scored. He currently leads the NJAC in hitting with a .565 batting average. Reinertsen was the NJAC Player of the Week.


Sherman, a senior second baseman from Plain City, Ohio, went 11-17 (.647) with eight runs scored, two doubles, two triples, three home runs, nine RBI, 26 total bases, and a slugging percentage of 1.529. During a North Coast Athletic Conference West Division series at Earlham on Saturday and Sunday, he was 10-13 (.769) with seven runs scored, a double, two triples, three home runs, eight RBI, 24 total bases, and a slugging number of 1.846, highlighted by a Sunday doubleheader in which he hit all three of his home runs. Ohio Wesleyan went 5-1, opening with an 8-4 loss at Marietta before defeating Mount Union and sweeping the Earlham series. Sherman was the NCAC Player of the Week.


Wewe, a sophomore right-hander from Brookville, Ind., fired the first complete game no-hitter of his career for Thomas More on Saturday, defeating Presidents Athletic Conference rival Thiel College 6-0 to earn the Saints a split of a doubleheader. He struck out seven batters in seven innings, improving to 3-0 on the season, with 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings and lowering his earned run average to 1.15. Wewe was the Presidents Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.


Honorable mention hitters: Jose Fulgencio (New Jersey City) - .478 (11-23), 3 doubles, 3 triples, 12 runs, 12 RBI, 7 steals, .870 slugging pct.; John Wagle (Augustana) - .625 (5-8), 3 doubles, 1 home run, 7 runs, 6 RBI, 2 steals, 1.375 slugging pct.; Shawn Gilblair (Eastern Connecticut) - .625 (10-16), 2 doubles, 1 home run, 6 runs, 12 RBI, .938 slugging pct.; Aaron Dalton (East Texas Baptist) - .667 (8-12), 6 doubles, 8 runs, 3 RBI, .1.167 slugging pct.; Jim Swienconek (Franklin) - .643 (9-14), 2 doubles, 1 home run, 6 runs, 3 RBI, 4 steals, 1.000 slugging pct.


Honorable mention pitchers: Caleb Calarco (King's) 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 14.0 ip, 2 cg, 11 hits, 14 strikeouts; Joe Augustine (Kean) - 2-0, 0.60 ERA, 15.0 ip, 6 hits, 16 strikeouts; Cody Flynn (Edgewood) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10.0 ip, 8 hits, 13 strikeouts; Ryan Hantel (Concordia IL) - 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 14.0 ip, 11 hits, 16 strikeouts; Jake Dennstedt (SUNY Brockport) - 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 7 hits, 9 strikeouts; Joe DiPietro (Pacific Lutheran) - 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts; Shane Wolf (Ithaca) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts; Kyle Barnett (Hanover) - 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.0 ip, 8 hits, 6 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. 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.


2007 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:

March 8: Jake Shandri, Wartburg (Hitter);
Bill Dictus, Edgewood (Pitcher)


· March 15: Pete Moore, Moravian (Hitter);
Lee Boyse, Coe (Pitcher)


· March 22: Rob Sumner, New Jersey City
(Hitter); Jake Dennstedt, SUNY-Brockport (Pitcher)


· March 29: Jake Shandri, Wartburg (Hitter);
Xander Jones, Ohio Wesleyan (Pitcher)


· April 5: Richard Hurd, Rhodes; Don
Reinertsen, William Paterson; Kyle Sherman, Ohio Wesleyan (Hitter); Kyle Wewe, Thomas
More (Pitcher)


· April 12: Josh Cardoso, Rhode Island
College (Hitter); Bob Buskett, College of New Jersey (Pitcher)


· April 19: Adam Evanoff, Wisconsin-Stevens
Point (Hitter); Sam Heaps, Elizabethtown College (Pitcher)


· April 26: Jimmy Fernandez, Allegheny
(Hitter); Tim Kiely, Trinity (Pitcher)


· May 3: Tim Rowe, Rockford College
(Hitter); Peter Reyes, SUNY-Old Westbury (Pitcher)


· May 10: Tommy Schmidt, Lawrence (Hitter);
Fabian Gomez, Rockford College (Pitcher)