DALLAS (NCBWA) Illinois Wesleyan University senior Pat Mollo and Macalester College sophomore Cole Change were named Division III National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Hitter and Pitcher of the Week for the period of April 3-9.
Mollo, a catcher from Naperville, Ill., batted .687 (11-for-16) with 11 runs, two doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.750 slugging percentage for the 4-0 Titans last week. The span for the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsins Hitter of the Week was highlighted by a three-home run game in a 16-0 win over Carroll on April 9 where he went 4-for-4 with four runs and four RBI. He was 3-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, one double and one home run in a 30-8 win over the Pioneers in game one of a double header on April 8. In game two, he was 3-for-4 with three runs, five RBI, one home run and two walks in leading the Titans to a 23-12 win. On April 4, he helped lead Illinois Wesleyan to a 13-1 win over Millikin by going 1-for-3 with one run, two RBI, one double and one walk.
Chang, a right-hander from Pleasantville, N.Y., made history at Macalester last week with a no-hitter in the Scots' 5-0 victory over Augsburg April 7. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences Pitcher of the Week kept the Auggies off-balance all game, recording 12 fly-ball outs, six groundouts and three strikeouts in seven innings. The only blemishes were a walk and four hit-batsmen, a by-product of the type of movement on Chang's pitches that day. Chang's no-hitter is the first in head coach Matt Parrington's 21 years at the school.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Mike Hammel (Jr., OF, DePauw): Made his presence felt during the Tigers 3-1 NCAC West series sweep at Wittenberg last weekend as he combined to hit 9-for-13 (.692) in the series with seven extra-base hits for a stunning 1.923 slug·ging percentage. Hammel, who was limited to pitching duties in the series opener, went 3-for-5 in each of the next three games, highlighted by smacking one triple and blasting two homers in the 8-7 win April 9. In the three games combined at the plate, he hit four homers, two doubles and the one triple, while also scoring seven times and driving in 10.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Josh Fleming (Jr., LHP, Webster): Recorded a pair of conference wins last week to move to 4-0 on the season. Fleming started the week with six scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a win over MacMurray, striking out nine. He followed with seven innings of work against Iowa Wesleyan, holding the Tigers to just one run and two hits while striking out nine. On the week Fleming recorded a 0.69 earned-run average over 13 innings pitched, striking out 18 while walking none and allowing just three hits.
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 Dick Howser Player of the Year Award, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.