DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 21. St. Mary·s freshman designated hitter Kevin Milam was named National Hitter of the Week, while Missouri junior right-handed pitcher Cole Bartlett 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.
Milam hit three home runs in three consecutive days to help the Gaels clinch a postseason berth. He hit two grand slams and a walk-off solo shot to help the Gaels sweep rival Santa Clara and clinch a spot in the West Coast Conference Tournament for the second straight year. He slugged .875 and had 10 RBIs while SMC went 4-0 on the week.
His first grand slam on Friday erased a 2-1 deficit and powered Saint Mary's to a series-opening win. Saturday, he swung at the very first pitch of the bottom of the ninth, sending it straight over the 400-foot mark of the center field wall to give the Gaels their second walk-off win of the year. And Sunday, he powered an 11-0 run in the late innings with his third grand slam of the season to make it 11-3, as the Gaels finished the sweep and clinched a spot in the postseason for the second straight year.
Bartlett fired a complete game, one-hit shutout Friday at Tennessee to guide the Tigers to a 2-0 win, while claiming their second consecutive SEC series win. He did not allow a runner to reach second base in the game and the only hit he allowed was a one-out single in the first inning. After a leadoff walk in the third inning, he retired 16 straight Vol batters until a two-out walk in the eighth inning. Bartlett needed just 105 pitches to mow through the Vol order as he was dominant throughout the start.
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)