DALLAS (NCBWA) Three different regions are represented in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III awards, as a 9-for-10 performance in a Saturday twin bill, a no-hitter, and a one-hitter garnered the hitter, pitcher, and rookie honors, respectively for performances spanning March 18-24.
Hitter of the Week: Sophomore Preston Ludwick was impressive at the plate for Centenary College of Louisiana last week. The Gents' first baseman slashed .833/.857/1.500 during Centenary's three-game series with the University of Dallas. The sophomore hit for the cycle over the course of the weekend, drove in eight runs, scored four times, and swiped a pair of bases. Ludwick smashed a two-run homer in Friday night's series opener, then went on to go 9-for-10 during Saturday's twin bill with four extra base hits, six RBI, and the two steals.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Ryan Serrato, Sr., UTL, Southern Vermont College - Registered hits in each of the first seven games of the week to extend his hitting streak to 12, and he turned in a .606 (20-for-33) batting average through eight total contests. Additionally, the senior had 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, a .649 on-base percentage, and an .879 slugging percentage after notching four doubles, a triple, and a home run. Serrato struck out only three times in his 37 total plate appearances, and he committed just two errors in 51 total chances in the field.
Pitcher of the Week: Springfield College senior Brian Johnson became the first student-athlete in the program's Div. III history to throw multiple no-hitters. Johnson, who picked up his first win of the season on Sunday with the Pride's 7-1 win against Emerson College, struck out nine and only allowed one walk. With this outing, Johnson now leads the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference in strikeouts per game at 11.44.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Deauton Delgado, Sr., Louisiana College Threw the second no-hitter in program history, as Louisiana College defeated No. 11 Concordia University Texas 6-0 as part of a series sweep over the weekend. He shut down the Tornado offense and only allowed four total base runners on three walks and one hit batter in seven innings. Delgado struck out five along the way.
Noteworthy, Delgado was the 2019 NCBWA Div. III Hitter of the Week for the week ending March 3.
Rookie of the Week: St. Norbert College's Mason Sefcik's first collegiate start was a dandy, as the rookie almost had a flawless game during the Green Knights' 10-0 seven-inning win over Keuka College. Sefcik allowed one hit during his complete-game shutout, didn't allow a runner past second base, and struck out four.
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2019 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:
Week ending Feb. 24: Tre D'Amico, Frostburg State (Hitter); Keith Long, Texas-Tyler (Pitcher); Andrew Santobuono, Alfred State (Rookie)
· Week ending March 3: Deauton Delgado, Louisiana College (Hitter); David Hall, Belhaven (Pitcher); Casey Jones, St. Vincent College (Rookie)
· Week ending March 10: Davis Mikell, Castleton (Hitter); Jake Binder, Ithaca (Pitcher); Jacob Thompson, Oberlin (Rookie)
· Week ending March 17: Holden Bridge, Swarthmore (Hitter); Tyler Showers, Arcadia (Pitcher); Colton Lineman, Grove City (Rookie)
· Week ending March 24: Preston Ludwick, Centenary (Hitter); Brian Johnson, Springfield (Pitcher); Mason Sefcik, St. Norbert (Rookie)
· Week ending March 31: Chris DeGiacomo, Johns Hopkins (Hitter); Chris Atwood, Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Pitcher); Jacob Thompson, Oberlin (Rookie)
· Week ending April 7: Zack Smith, Salve Regina (Hitter); Worth Walrod, Suffolk (Pitcher); Nick Denove, Case Western Reserve (Rookie)
· Week ending April 14: Christian Jones, Catholic (Hitter); Shayne Audet, New England College (Pitcher); Dylan Fashempour, UMass-Boston (Rookie)
· Week ending April 21: Joey Stock, Saint John's, Minn. (Hitter); Connor Cook, Wisconsin-LaCrosse (Pitcher); Kyle Schaefer, Roger Williams (Rookie)
· Week ending April 28: Colin BeVard, Cortland (Hitter); Matt O·Sullivan, Wisconsin-Whitewater (Pitcher); Damen Castillo, Benedictine (Rookie)
· Week ending May 5: Eric Devore, Heidelberg (Hitter); Ryan Loutos Washington (Pitcher); Kobe Rogerson, Husson (Rookie)