DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending Feb. 23. Kentucky junior first baseman A.J. Reed was named National Hitter of the Week, while VMI junior right-handed pitcher Reed Garrett 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.
Reed had a historic week for the Wildcats, belting five home runs and driving in 11 RBI in a three-game span. A first-team preseason All-America selection, Reed became the first UK player with five homers in a three-game span in school history, while also posting seven, one-run innings on the mound Friday for the win. In Friday's win over St. Joseph's, Reed became the first UK player to hit two homers in an inning, including a grand slam, since Jason Kipnis in 2007. After smacking a go-ahead single at Old Dominion in the third inning, Reed erased a one-run hole with a solo homer in the seventh inning of UK's comeback win on Saturday. On Sunday, Reed had his second two-homer game of the weekend in a shutout win over St. John's.
Garrett, a junior from Richmond, Va., threw the first regular season no-hitter in Gray-Minor Stadium history, and the first no-hitter of this year's Division I season on Feb. 21 against Lafayette. He blanked the Leopards on 117 pitches and struck out 13, including nine of the last 14 hitters. The right-hander allowed only one base runner, that coming on a 3-2 walk in the fifth inning. It was the first no-hitter in the Big South since May of 2011. For his effort he was tabbed a Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball. The honor is his first Big South Pitcher of the Week plaudit this season.
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, www.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.
2014 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Feb. 16: Skyler Ewing, Rice (Hitter); Jeremy Null, East Carolina (Pitcher)
· Feb. 23: A.J. Reed, Kentucky (Hitter); Reed Garrett, VMI (Pitcher)
· March 2: Ryan Seiz, Liberty (Hitter); Jake Stinnett, Maryland (Pitcher)
· March 9: Mac James, Oklahoma (Hitter); Javi Salas, Miami (Pitcher)
· March 16: Nic Wilson, Georgia State (Hitter); Heath Dwyer, VCU (Pitcher)
· March 23: Michael Katz, William & Mary (Hitter); Frankie Vanderka, Stony Brook (Pitcher)
· March 30: Clint Freeman, East Tennessee State (Hitter); Matt Imhof, Cal Poly (Pitcher)
· April 6: A.J. Reed, Kentucky (Hitter); Nathan Kirby, Virginia (Pitcher)
· April 13: Mitchell Tolman, Oregon (Hitter); Jordan Carter, St. Joseph's (Pitcher)
· April 20: Byron Campbell, UMES (Hitter); Jeff Hoffman, East Carolina (Pitcher)
· April 27: Auston Bausfield, Ole Miss (Hitter); Thomas Eshelman, Cal State Fullerton (Pitcher)
· May 4: Casey Turgeon, Florida (Hitter); Jace Fry, Oregon State (Pitcher)
· May 11: Connor McVey, Cincinnati (Hitter); Matt Fraudin, Gardner-Webb (Pitcher)
· May 18: Kane Sweeney, Morehead State (Hitter); Ben Wetzler, Oregon State (Pitcher)