DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending February 23. St. Bonaventure junior outfielder Tyler Kelder was named National Hitter of the Week, while Duke junior right-handed pitcher Bryce Jarvis was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Kelder was unstoppable at the plate in Bona's three-game sweep at Mount St. Mary's. He belted six home runs in 16 at-bats, finishing the weekend with a slash line of .625/.647/1.813 while recording 11 RBI.
Kelder opened the year with a homer in Friday's series-opening win and nearly had a grand slam when he drove another ball to the fence in left center, settling for a two-run double. On Saturday, he had one of the best individual days in program history as he homered five times in a doubleheader sweep of The Mount. In Saturday's first game, Kelder launched three homers and went 4-for-6 at the plate, driving in four runs. In the series finale, he blasted two more round-trippers and finished 3-for-4 and drove in four runs. Kelder's six home runs came off five different pitchers.
Jarvis retired all 27 batters he faced on the afternoon in the series opener against Cornell on February 21, registering a career-high 15 strikeouts, forcing 10 groundouts and two fly outs in his perfect outing. The Franklin, Tenn., native punched out at least one batter in eight of his nine frames, while managing to work in just one three-ball count across 94 pitches the entire afternoon.
The performance marked just the 31st perfect game in NCAA Division I history, and first since East Carolina's Jake Kuchmaner had a perfect outing on March 17, 2019. The outing also marked the seventh no-hitter in Duke history, and first since the Blue Devils' combined no-hit effort over Penn State last season on March 1, 2019. It also was the fourth in the 67-year history of the ACC, joining Miami's Javi Salas (2014, vs. Villanova), Virginia's Will Roberts (2011, vs. George Washington) and Maryland's Dick Reitz (1959, vs. Johns Hopkins).
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com.
For more information on the NCBWA Division I National Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.
2020 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Week ending Feb. 16: Nate Rombach, Texas Tech (Hitter); Alfredo Ruiz, Long Beach State (Pitcher)
· Week ending Feb. 23: Tyler Kelder, St. Bonaventure (Hitter); Bryce Jarvis, Duke (Pitcher)
· Week ending March 1: HUnter Goodman, Memphis (Hitter); Dane Acker, Oklahoma (Pitcher)
· Week ending March 8: Alex Gattinelli, Coastal Carolina (Hitter); Gavin Stone, Central Arkansas (Pitcher)
2020 NCBWA Division I Players of the Month:
February: Nick Gonzales, New Mexico State (Player); Brian Van Belle, Miami (Pitcher)