DALLAS (NCBWA) A University Athletic Association Championship series first and a plus .700 batting performance led Case Western Reserve's Neal Krentz and Earlham College's Brandon Smalling to Division III National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association honors for the period of March 9-15.
Krentz, a junior right-handed starting pitcher from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., tossed a seven-inning no-hitter, the first in UAA Baseball Championship history, in the Spartans' 12-0 win over University of Rochester March 11. He walked five and struck out eight. Krentz came back later in the tourney with a relief appearance in the Spartans' final game of the UAA tournament against Brandeis March 15, yielding one hit after recording four outs in a 1.2 inning stint. The UAA Pitcher of Week stands 1-0 with a save and a miniscule 1.04 earned run average in two appearances.
Smalling, a junior infielder from Mooresville, Ind., was dominant at the plate as the Quakers went 5-0 during the week. The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week finished 11-for-15 (.733) at the plate with 11 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs, four walks, and 12 RBIs. Smalling reached base in 15 straight plate appearances with the steak ending with a sacrifice fly March 15. The junior also posted an on-base percentage of .762 and a 1.400 slugging percentage during the five-game span.
Honorable Mention Hitters: Tj Sempkowski, So., SS, Becker - Batted .565 with a slugging percentage of 1.087. Of Sempkowski's 13 hits, six of them were for extra bases including two homeruns, two triples and two doubles. Sempkowski also drove in 20 runs, in addition to having an on base percentage of .536 Cole Tomlinson, Sr., UT, Coe - Hit .692 with a 1.154 slugging percentage as the Kohawks finished their spring trip with four wins in five outings to improve to 7-1 overall. He was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in a 9-5 loss to Wittenburg, then went 2-for-2 and was beaned twice, scoring all four times, in Coe's 10-5 win over Dickinson (Pa.). In Coe's 17-1, 7-inning win over Principia, Tomlinson hit a two-run home run in his only official at-bat and drew three walks, scoring all four times he reached base. In a doubleheader sweep over Fontbonne, he finished 4-for-6 with a double, five RBIs and three runs scored as Coe posted wins by scores of 7-6.
Honorable Mention Pitchers: Tyler Heitmann, Jr., RHP, Bethel - Went 2-0 in two starts without allowing an earned run. In 13 innings of work, Heitmann struck out 19 and allowed just six hits and one walk. Heitmann's 2015 debut came March 10 as the Royals hosted UW-Superior. The Bethel pitcher was strong from the start, allowing just two hits with no walks and nine strike outs in six shutout innings to get the victory. He pitched again March 15 on the team's spring trip to Florida, and was just as good. Heitmann went the distance in a 3-2 win over UW-Platteville, with 10 strikeouts, four hits, one walk and no earned runs to improve to 2-0 Joseph Salzano, So., RHP, Catholic - Made three relief appearances last week, earning two saves and a win for the Cardinals. In his first game, Salzano entered Catholic's matchup with Staten Island facing a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the ninth inning of a 9-7 game. He struck out two and induced a ground out for the save. Salzano then tossed the final three innings of Catholic's 9-5 win over Hood, striking out four and surrendering only one hit. He concluded the week with three more scoreless innings against Moravian. Salzano escaped a bases-loaded situation in the 10th inning, allowing the Cardinals to come away with a walk-off 4-3 victory in the bottom of the frame.
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