DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week awards presented by The Game Headwear for the period ending May 12. The College of Charleston’s graduate student designated hitter Cole Singsank was named National Hitter of the Week, while Wake Forest’s junior right-handed pitcher Chase Burns was named National Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Singsank batted .529 (9-17) with two doubles, six homers, nine runs scored and 15 RBI in Charleston’s 3-1 week, which included a CAA series win over Northeastern. The Cougars’ DH homered twice in a 10-7 win over The Citadel and then continued the streak by hitting two home runs in each of the first two games of the Northeastern series. The Durham, North Carolina, native drove in at least three runs in three games, including a 5-for-7 outing with seven RBI in Saturday’s 18-5 victory against the Huskies.
Burns fanned a career-high 16 hitters against No. 2 Clemson, marking the 10th time in 13 starts this season he has struck out at least 10 batters and the second time he finished with at least 15 punch outs. He improved to 10-1 as a Demon Deacon, ranking third nationally in wins. He also became the Demon Deacons' single-season strikeout record holder with 156 punchouts on Friday night.
The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native allowed just one run on two hits over 7.0 innings and only gave up one free pass. The outing also marked his ninth quality start of his junior season. His 16 strikeouts in a single outing rank second in Wake Forest history behind only Erik Hanson (18) on April 17, 1985. Additionally, Burns now holds seven of the top 10 single-game strikeout performances in Wake Forest history and the outing also marked his ninth quality start of his junior season.
Semifinalists for the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy, awarded to the national player of the year, will be announced on Thursday.
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, contact NCBWA Executive Associate Director Mike Montoro (304-293-2821, mike.montoro@mail.wvu.edu).