DALLAS (NCBWA) – Five homers over three games along with nine hits, five runs scored and 11 RBIs, and a pair of dominant starts to the season on the mound captured the first National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III honors for 2025. This week’s selections were based on games played up to February 23.
HITTER OF THE WEEK
No. 14 Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) graduate student infielder Dane Camphausen hit .643 (9-for-14) and slugged 1.714 over three games to be selected as the first hitter of the week. Camphausen homered four times in a win over Heidelberg University while finishing 5-for-5 at the plate. Three of the homers were solo shots in the third, fifth and eighth before pounding a grand slam to cap an eight-run eighth with his second of the frame. Camphausen drove home eight in the win. The graduate student also logged three hits against the University of Mount Union with another homer, driving home two and drove home a run against DePauw University, finishing with 11 RBIs over the three games. Camphausen, a big 6-8 first baseman, was an All-Region selection last year by both D3baseball.com and the ABCA while earning First Team All-UAA honors.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Nicholas Jones, Jr., 1B/OF, Trinity University (Texas) hit safely in the first six games of the season for the 17th ranked Tigers, who opened the year 6-0. Jones logged three games with three hits, finishing 11-for-20 at the plate (.550) with six extra base hits and 12 RBIs. The Southlake, Texas native doubled three times, tripled twice, and also hit a homer while scoring a run in five of the six contests, totaling 13 runs scored.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Millsaps (Miss.) senior left-hander Nick Tarantino walked just one batter over 12.2 innings while striking out 25 in a 2-0 start to the season over three starts. The Covington, La. native kicked off his 2025 campaign with a scoreless inning of relief against the Mississippi University for Women, fanning two in a 14-1 win. Tarantino struck out nine in six innings of work against Edgewood College, earning the win while logging 78 pitches. The 2024 All-SAA Second Team selection capped his beginning to the year with 14 strikeouts over 5.2 innings during a win over LeTourneau. For the month, Tarantino finished 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 17.8 K/9. Millsaps also won the first pitching award of the 2024 season.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Jason Gilman, Sr., Kean University (New Jersey) – Gilman fanned 18 batters over 11.1 innings of work to open the season. The lefty, who made nine starts last year and earned First Team All-NJAC honors, struck out eight in 4.1 hitless innings against Arcadia and won his first start by striking out 10 over seven innings against Mitchell.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Methodist University (N.C.) first-year hurler Ian Swanson did not allow a run over three outings totaling 14 innings while striking out 18 batters. The Tallahassee, Fla. native appeared in three gams on the mound, making two starts. Swanson struck out seven in three innings of relief against Roanoke, helping his team come from behind. Making his first start of the year, Swanson allowed just two hits while striking out six against Hood in a 3-0 shutout. The start to the season was capped with six blank innings against Hanover with five punchouts.
2025 DIVISION III HITTER, PITCHER, AND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS
• Month of February: Dane Camphausen, Case Western Reserve (Hitter); Nick Tarantino, Millsaps (Pitcher); Ian Swanson, Methodist, North Carolina (Rookie)