DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 7. UT Martin senior catcher/designated hitter Dan Kerwin was named National Hitter of the Week, while Arkansas junior right-handed pitcher Trevor Stephan 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.
In four games last week, Kerwin hit .500 (10-for-20) with eight runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, a 1.100 slugging percentage and .545 on-base percentage. The Bradenton, Fla., native opened the week by score three runs in a victory over Union. In a weekend series at Eastern Illinois, Kerwin helped the Skyhawks to a pair of victories to push the team into a tie for eighth place in the OVC standings. He opened the EIU series with three hits, including a home run, and a pair of runs scored. On Saturday, he hit a pair of home runs and drove in five runs in a 15-3 UTM victory. He capped the week by going 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Overall for the week he was responsible for 17 total runs for the Skyhawks who are now just two overall wins away from tying the programs Division I season record.
Stephan threw a complete game one-hitter over seven innings Saturday against Tennessee, helping Arkansas split the two-game series with the Volunteers with a 2-0 victory. Even though the series with the Vols was shortened to two games due to inclement weather, the Magnolia, Texas, native came up clutch with his performance on the mound, striking out 11 batters, with just one hit and two walks in seven innings. The last Hog pitcher to throw a one-hitter was Brett Eibner in 2009 against top-ranked Georgia.
The outing was Stephans third with 10 or more strikeouts this season and his most since striking out 13 against Rhode Island on March 10. It also marked his second-straight quality start and the first complete game shutout by a Razorback pitcher this year, the first since Zach Jackson achieved the same feat in seven innings at Kentucky last 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.
2017 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Feb. 21: Andrew Kendrick, Youngstown State (Hitter);
Jared Poché, LSU and Robbie Welhaf, Elon (Pitcher)
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Feb. 28: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter);
Justin Dillon, Sacramento State (Pitcher)
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March 7: Chase Lunceford, Louisiana Tech (Hitter);
Danny Hrbek, Radford and Parker Rigler, Kansas State (Pitcher)
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March 14: Connor Smith, Western Michigan (Hitter);
Eli Morgan, Gonzaga (Pitcher)
· March 21:
Jake Scheiner, Houston (Hitter); John Gavin, Cal State Fullerton (Pitcher)
· March 28: Matt Lloyd, Indiana (Hitter); Cory Abbott,
Loyola Marymount (Pitcher)
· April 4: Keaton
Kringlen, BYU (Hitter); Alex Cunningham, Coastal Carolina (Pitcher)
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April 11: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter);
Michael Grove, West Virginia (Pitcher)
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April 18: Stuart Fairchild, Wake Forest (Hitter); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
· April 25: Dylan Busby, Florida State (Hitter);
Alex Faedo, Florida (Pitcher)
· May 2: Hunter
Hargrove, Texas Tech (Hitter); David Peterson, Oregon (Pitcher)
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May 9: Dan Kerwin, UT Martin (Hitter); Trevor Stephan,
Arkansas (Pitcher)
· May 16: Jared Barnes,
South Alabama (Hitter); Zach Prendergast, Seton Hall (Pitcher)
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May 23: Kevin Milam, St. Mary's (Hitter); Cole Bartlett,
Missouri (Pitcher)
2017 NCBWA Division I Players of the Month:
February: Brendon McKay, Lousiville (Hitter); James
Poché, LSU (Pitcher)
· March: Brent
Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter); David Peterson, Oregon (Pitcher)
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April: Drew Ellis, Louisville (Hitter); Jake Thompson,
Oregon State (Pitcher)
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May: Chris Carrier, Memphis (Hitter); Trey Cumbie,
Houston (Pitcher)