DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending March 16. Georgia State senior first baseman Nic Wilson was named National Hitter of the Week, while VCU junior left-handed pitcher Heath Dwyer was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Wilson, who hit five home runs and drove in 15 runs last week, hit .579 (11-for-19) while compiling a 1.421 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage for a remarkable OPS of 2.046. His week included a .500 average (6-for-12) with two homers and six RBIs in the Panthers' Sun Belt Conference series against Western Kentucky. In three one-run games against the Hilltoppers, he drove in six of the Panthers' 14 runs.
Wilson homered in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against WKU. In GSU's 4-3 loss in game one, he drove in all three Panther runs with a homer, a double and a single. In the nightcap, he hit another solo homer in the first inning, delivered a two-out, run-scoring single to tie the game at 4-4 in the fifth, and then gave GSU a 5-4 lead in the seventh on a fielder's choice as the 6-6, 235-pounder beat the throw at first base to score the go-ahead run.
In game one of a doubleheader win over Rutgers on Friday, he knocked in three runs on three hits, including a double, and walked. James doubled for the third straight game as the Sooners won the nightcap, and he finished 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI. On Sunday, James went 4-for-4, his second four-hit game of the season, scored three runs and hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the weekend series, he batted .750 (9-for-12). For the week, James slugged 1.000 and had an on-base percentage of .714.
Dwyer went the distance, posting one of the most dominant pitching performances in recent VCU history, in a 1-0 two-hit win over Buffalo. The Chandler, Ariz., native's day was highlighted by his 15 strikeouts, setting a new career-high. The final two strikeouts of the pitcher' s night came in the ninth inning to preserve the Rams' 1-0 win and conclude his fifth career complete game.
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 I National Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.
2014 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Feb. 16: Skyler Ewing, Rice (Hitter); Jeremy Null, East Carolina (Pitcher)
· Feb. 23: A.J. Reed, Kentucky (Hitter); Reed Garrett, VMI (Pitcher)
· March 2: Ryan Seiz, Liberty (Hitter); Jake Stinnett, Maryland (Pitcher)
· March 9: Mac James, Oklahoma (Hitter); Javi Salas, Miami (Pitcher)
· March 16: Nic Wilson, Georgia State (Hitter); Heath Dwyer, VCU (Pitcher)
· March 23: Michael Katz, William & Mary (Hitter); Frankie Vanderka, Stony Brook (Pitcher)
· March 30: Clint Freeman, East Tennessee State (Hitter); Matt Imhof, Cal Poly (Pitcher)
· April 6: A.J. Reed, Kentucky (Hitter); Nathan Kirby, Virginia (Pitcher)
· April 13: Mitchell Tolman, Oregon (Hitter); Jordan Carter, St. Joseph's (Pitcher)
· April 20: Byron Campbell, UMES (Hitter); Jeff Hoffman, East Carolina (Pitcher)
· April 27: Auston Bausfield, Ole Miss (Hitter); Thomas Eshelman, Cal State Fullerton (Pitcher)
· May 4: Casey Turgeon, Florida (Hitter); Jace Fry, Oregon State (Pitcher)
· May 11: Connor McVey, Cincinnati (Hitter); Matt Fraudin, Gardner-Webb (Pitcher)
· May 18: Kane Sweeney, Morehead State (Hitter); Ben Wetzler, Oregon State (Pitcher)