DALLAS (NCBWA) Louisiana College is the first NCAA Div. III institution to have two National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association hitter winners in the same season since 2010, while the Ohio Athletic Conference and Liberty League had this week's top pitcher and rookie, respectively. This week's honorees were recognized for performances spanning March 15-21.
Hitter of the Week: Louisiana College's Dane Pedersen crushed the ball in the Wildcats' three-game sweep at Sul Ross State University. The senior first baseman hit .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, and five runs scored. This marks the second time the Wildcats have had the hitter honoree this season, with Ty Morgan winning the season-opening February Hitter of the Month accolade.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Ethan Carmack, Sr., DeSales University Was outstanding in the four-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham. Carmack hit .533 (8-for-15) with three home runs, a double, 14 RBI, and seven runs scored. He had five hits, including two home runs and eight RBI in the road sweep of the Devils. Carmack then added three more hits, another home run, and six RBI in the home sweep of FDU-Florham.
Pitcher of the Week: University of Mount Union junior Thomas Gallant fired a three-hit, nine-inning shutout against Heidelberg University in an 8-0 win by the Purple Raiders on Saturday. Gallant struck out 13 and walked one. On the year, Gallant's 2-0 with two shutouts. He's scattered five hits in 16 innings and has struck out 24. The right-hander sports a 21-inning scoreless streak dating back to the 2020 season.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Alex Doskoez, Jr., Purchase College Fired a nine-inning two-hitter in Purchase's game one win over SUNY Maritime on Sunday. Doskoez registered a .069 batting average against and struck out 14 in the 2-1 victory.
Rookie of the Week: University of Rochester freshman Nolan Sparks tossed a two-hit shutout against SUNY Cortland on Wednesday in his collegiate debut. Sparks needed 92 pitches to get through seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one. Rochester swept Cortland to open the season and won 8-0 in Sparks' outing.
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2021 NCBWA Division III Players of the Week:
Week ending March 7: Caleb Durbin, Washington U. (Hitter); Patrick O'Rourke, Berry (Pitcher); Amani Jones, Stevenson (Rookie)
· Week ending March 14: Philip Mahlik, Kean (Hitter); Ryan Behling, North Central (Pitcher); Jacob Cyrus, Illinois Wesleyan (Rookie)
· Week ending March 21: Dane Pedersen, Louisiana College (Hitter); Thomas Gallant, Mount Union (Pitcher); Nolan Sparks, Rochester (Rookie)
· Week ending March 28: Jack Hollinshead, Wittenberg (Hitter); Sam Westermeyer, St. Olaf (Pitcher); Cam Seymour, Southern Maine (Rookie)
· Week ending April 4: Catcher Cumming, Penn State Altoona (Hitter); Chris Chiriboga, St. Thomas (Pitcher); Jake Freed, Oberlin (Rookie)
· Week ending April 11: Adam Zebrowski, St. John Fisher (Hitter); Nolan Rowan, Kean (Pitcher); Amani Jones, Stevenson (Rookie)
· Week ending April 18: Dougie DelaCruz, Mitchell (Hitter); Michael Vallone, DePauw (Pitcher); Owen Robbins, Mitchell (Rookie)
· Week ending April 25: Daniel Coleman, SUNY-Cortland (Hitter); Brock Weirather, Grinnell (Pitcher); James Ward Jr., St. John Fisher (Rookie)
· Week ending May 2: Jake Reinhardt, North Park (Hitter); Weston Lombard, Gustavus Adolphus (Pitcher); Jake Hillard, Penn State Altoona (Rookie)
· Week ending May 9: Adam Zebrowski, St. John Fisher (Hitter); James Palmer, Wisconsin-Stout (Pitcher); James Murphy, Adam Zebrowski (Rookie)
2021 NCBWA Division III Players of the Month:
February: Ty Morgan, Louisiana College (Hitter); Brett Sanchez, Belhaven (Pitcher); Levi Cloud, Berry (Rookie)