DALLAS (NCBWA) Institutions from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, the Commonwealth Coast Conference and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference gained National Collegiate Baseball Wresters Association Division III accolades for games played Feb. 26-March 4.
Hitter of the Week: Emory and Henry junior outfielder Ben Sexton wasn't short of power to help fuel the Wasps' offense. The Lebanon, Va., native helped his team to a 3-0 mark with a .700/.636/1.300 slash line. Sexton was 7-for-10 in the three outings, smacking a trio of doubles and a homer to go with seven RBI and four runs scored. He also stole three bases without being caught. Sexton went 4-for-4 in a 15-11 triumph at Ferrum. Two of those hits were doubles as he scored twice, drove in two runs and swiped two games. In game two against Southern Virginia -- following a 6-3 victory in game one -- Sexton proved the difference-maker as E&H swept the Knights, 12-9. Sexton went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a stolen base, and a walk-off three run homer. The dinger gave him five RBI for the game.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Tyler Kledzik, So., OF, Elmhurst: Batted .625 (10-for-16) with seven runs, two doubles, two triples and nine RBIs for the 3-1 Bluejays last week. He opened the season with a 5-for-6 performance and a team-leading five RBIs in a 17-7 win over Blackburn and was 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI in the Bluejays' 6-2 win over MacMurray March 3. The following day, he finished 2-for-2 with three runs and three RBIs while reaching base five times in five plate appearances in a 13-2 win over Loras. Kledzik also scored a run and walked twice against Eureka Sunday.
Pitcher of the Week: Salve Regina sophomore hurler Patrick Maybach resumed his sparkling collegiate career. The Saunderstown, R.I., native was dominant in a 6-0 victory over Framingham State March 4 in the Seahawks' season opener. Last year's Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year tossed seven shutout innings and struck out a career-high 15 batters while allowing just three singles and three walks.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Kenny Sysyn, So., Marymount (Va.): Tossed a complete-game one-hitter in a victory over Western Connecticut State. Through seven innings on the mound, Sysyn registered a career-high nine strikeouts and just two walks against 26 batters. It marked the first complete-game outing of his career.
Rookie of the Week: St. Mary's University of Minnesota's James Green turned heads in the Sunshine State, guiding the Cardinals to one of their four wins. Green pitched 14 innings of shutout ball, striking out 13 and walking none to start his collegiate campaign. A resident of East Bethel, Minn, he retired five batters in a 2-0 victory over MSOE on February 26 and returned to the mound on March 3 for an eight-K performance against Mount Union.
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