DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 6. Kentucky junior first baseman A.J. Reed was named National Hitter of the Week for the second time this season, while Virginia sophomore left-handed pitcher Nathan Kirby 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, who earned his first NCBWA National Hitter of the Week on Feb. 25, hit homers in all three games of the Kentucky series win over No. 12 Florida and also helped UK to a midweek win over No. 8 Louisville. A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Reed went 8-for-12 vs. the Gators, with five runs, six RBIs, a 1.667 slugging and a .733 on-base percentage. In addition, Reed worked seven shutout innings on the mound in Friday nights win, scattering five singles, while going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a homer. On Saturday, Reed went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a homer, before going 3-for-4 with a double, homer and was hit by a pitch on Sunday in a series-clinching win.
Kirby struck out 18 batters, one off the school and ACC single-game record, in Virginias first no-hitter since 2011. The complete-game effort marked the first time Kirby has pitched longer than 6.2 innings in his career. The Midlothian, Va., native faced just two batters over the minimum as he recorded UVa's first no-hitter since Will Roberts' perfect game against George Washington in 2011. It was Virginia's fifth no-hitter in the last 50 years. The others: Ned Turnbull vs. NC State in 1966, Barry Hollar vs. Mansfield State in 1974 and Mike Ballard vs. Boston College in 2006.
Kirby allowed one walk, a fifth-inning free pass to A.J. Lardo, and UVa committed one error on a first-inning grounder by Pitt's Dylan Wolsonovich. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. The school record for strikeouts is 19, set by Harry Thomas in 1974 against Clemson. That total is tied with NC State's Shawn Senior (vs. Howard, 1993) and North Carolina's Roger Williams (vs. Duke, 1985) for the ACC record. Kirby struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, retiring 10 straight batters by strikeout at one point. He recorded the first complete-game shutout for a Virginia pitcher in an ACC road game since Jeff Kamrath posted a shutout at Maryland on April 5, 2002.
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)