NCBWA NAMES DIVISION IIINATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

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DALLAS (NCBWA) A three-time Little East Conference Baseball Player of the Week claimed the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III Hitter of the Week honor, while the Empire 8 Athletic Conference and North Coast Athletic Conference earned the week three Pitcher and Rookie of the Week awards. This week's honorees were selected based on performances spanning March 4-10.

Hitter of the Week: Junior first baseman Davis Mikell was named the Little East Conference Baseball Player of the Week for the third time in as many weeks after reaching base in each of his 11 plate appearances during Castleton University's doubleheader sweep of Bard College. Mikell was a perfect 7-for-7 with five extra base hits. He slugged 2.000, scored eight runs, and drove in four. Mikell went 5-for-5 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored and two RBI in Castleton's 13-4 game-one win before going 2-for-2 with one double and one triple while drawing three free passes, scoring four runs, and driving in a pair of runners in the 13-7 game-two triumph.

Honorable Mention Hitter: Allen Murphy, Jr., UT, St. John Fisher College Helped guide the Cardinals to a 5-3 overall mark as St. John Fisher played eight games in Florida and posted two wins in a three-game set against seventh-ranked University of Massachusetts Boston. Murphy went 16-for-36 (.444) at the plate and had two home runs, 16 RBI, and 12 runs scored in that stretch. The junior slugged .667 and had a .500 on-base percentage. Murphy's biggest hit of the week came in the rubber game of a three-game set with the Beacons, as he crushed a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Fisher to a 10-8 win.

Pitcher of the Week: Ithaca College senior Jake Binder carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning during the Bombers' 2-0 victory over No. 18 California Lutheran University on Sunday afternoon at Thousand Oaks, California. Binder was perfect through seven innings before issuing a walk, while his lone hit came with one out in the ninth. He recorded five strikeouts in the game and needed just 100 pitches.

Honorable Mention Pitcher: Lake Pry, So., Grove City College Threw Grove City's first no-hitter in 19 years Thursday when he no-hit Penn State New Kensington. Pry struck out 13 men and walked one in eight innings as Grove City won 10-0 (10-run rule). Pry's 13 strikeouts are the most for a Grove City pitcher since Erik Arnesen mowed down 13 University of Pittsburg at Greensburg batters on March 18, 2006.

Rookie of the Week: Oberlin College freshman Jacob Thompson had a sensational collegiate debut, helping the Yeomen to a pair of 8-7 wins over Capital University. The Corinth, Texas native powered the Yeomen lineup by going 6-for-9 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, and three runs scored. He amassed 14 total bases in the doubleheader. Thompson, who also had two stolen bases, went 4-for-5 in the lid-lifter, and was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in game two. The right-hander started game two on the bump and allowed one run on one hit in five innings to earn his first career win.

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.