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 March 2. Gardner-Webb infielder/designated hitter redshirt senior Dale Francis Jr. and Oregon junior designated hitter Dominic Hellman were named National Co-Hitters of the Week, while Portland senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Rembisz was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Francis Jr. batted .667 (10-for-15) with five home runs and 16 RBI in a historic week, highlighted by a four-homer, 12-RBI performance in Gardner-Webb’s 16-14 win over Appalachian State on Saturday. After hitting a pair of two-run homers, a three-run blast and a grand slam, the Fort Pierce, Florida, native was intentionally walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a one-run game. He posted a 1.733 slugging percentage and scored seven runs during the week, while also becoming the 15th college baseball player to hit four or more home runs in a single game since single-game stat tracking in the NCAA began in 2012.
Francis Jr. went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored at South Carolina to kickstart the week. He then opened the weekend series at App State with a two-run homer on Friday prior to his four-homer outburst the following day. He capped the week on Sunday going 1-for-3 with an RBI single.
Hellman started all four games at DH leading Oregon to convincing wins that saw Oregon outscore Columbia 70-15 in the four-game series. The Mill Creek, Washington, native slashed .500/.583/1.056 with a 1.639 OPS. He slugged three home runs, including a pair of grand slams in the series opener, while driving in a team-high 13 runs with nine runs scored and a double.
In a 20-11 win in the first game of the series, Hellman went 3-for-5 with two grand slams, eight RBI three runs scored, while also doubling and reaching on a hit-by-pitch. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the second, he launched his first grand slam of the day to give the Ducks a 7-3 lead. After reaching base on a HBP and scoring in the fourth and doubling in the fifth, Hellman broke open a four-run game in the bottom of the seventh with his second grand slam to secure the win.
The Ducks' DH had another big game in Oregon’s 35-1 win in the second game of the series. He reached base five times (3-for-5, 2 HBP), while driving in four more runs and scoring four times. After getting hit by pitches in his first two at-bats and coming around to score, Hellman picked up his first RBI with a ground out in the third inning. He added singles in the fourth and fifth innings, a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth.
In game two of Saturday's doubleheader and game three of the series, Hellman went 1-for-5 in Oregon's 8-3 win. He slugged his third home run of the series in the eighth inning to wrap up the Ducks' win. In the series finale on Sunday, Hellman reached base four times (2-for-3, 2 BB) and scored once. He singled in his first two at-bats, before walking and scoring in his final two at-bats. The first run scored pushed Oregon's lead to 3-0 in the seventh, while his second gave the Ducks a 7-0 lead.
Rembisz threw a perfect game with 12 strikeouts in Portland's 8-0 win over Seattle. It marked the first nine-inning perfect game ever by a West Coast Conference player and the first ever by a Pilot. He became the 21st player to ever throw a perfect game in nine innings at the Division I level and the first in three years. He achieved the feat with just 90 pitches.
The Woodinville, Washington, native set down 12 batters on his own through nine innings, rendering the Redhawk bats scoreless. The final out came on a slow grounder to third. Cole Katayama-Stall collected the grounder and made the tough throw to first that Zach Toglia collected, leading to history.
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).