The Team of the Week is D3baseball.com's weekly honor roll, in its fourth season of recognizing the top performers at each of nine positions from the previous week. Players are selected from nominations from their school's sports information directors. This is the fifth Team of the Week of the 2015 season.
Games of March 9-15, 2015
C Jacob Mayfield, Sr., Birmingham Southern
Mayfield had multiple RBI games in all three games this week as Birmingham Southern moved to 14-0 for their best start in program history. He went 6-for-12 (.500) at the plate with a double and two home runs, as well as eight RBI. Mayfield posted a 1.083 slugging percentage and .462 on-base percentage. He also recorded 22 chances with no errors.
1B Alex Weinstein, Sr., New Jersey City
Weinstein batted .692 (9-for-13) with a 1.077 slugging percentage and .688 on-base percentage as NJCU went 3-0. He hit five doubles and drove in eight RBI, scoring four times without striking out. He played flawless defense in 18 chances.
2B Richard Fecteau, Jr., Salem St.
Fecteau batted .688 (11-for-16) as the Vikings went 2-2. He had four extra-base hits (two doubles, two home runs), three runs, and nine RBI on the week.
SS Tj Sempkowski, So., Becker
Sempkowski batted .650 this past week with 13 hits in 20 at bats. He slugged two doubles, two triples and two home runs for a 1.250 slugging percentage. Sempkowski drove in 19 runs and scored 11 times.
3B Brandon Smalling, Jr., Earlham
Smalling reached base 15 straight times, ending the streak with a sacrifice fly. He hit .733 (11-for-15), knocking in 12 and scoring 11 times.
OF Michael Fischbach, Jr., Albion
Fischback batted .440 (11-for-25) over seven games with six extra base hits. He drove in 12 runs and scored seven. His seventh-inning grand slam lifted Albion to a win over Waynesburg.
OF Caleb Lang, Jr., Cairn
Lang hit .650 (13-for-20) with two home runs and six doubles over five games. He had nine RBI and nine runs scored.
OF John Rauseo, Sr., Oswego St.
Rauseo had nine hits in 16 AB (.563) in two weekend doubleheaders for the Lakers. He hit a double, two triples and a home run to go along with six RBI and six runs scored.
DH Nick McMullen, Fr., Macalester
McMullen started his collegiate career by making a pinch running appearance in Macalester's 5-4 win over Concordia (Wis.), in which he stole a base. He was inserted in the starting lineup and proceed to belt four home runs. In his first four college games he batted .500 (6-for-12) with 11 RBI, eight runs and stolen five bases.
SP Justin Lange, Jr., Buena Vista
Lange pitched eight shutout innings, allowed just two hits and struck out 11 as he helped BVU bounce back from its only loss of the year in the opener of a doubleheader against Nebraska Wesleyan. He set new career-highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
SP Jose Ortiz, Fr., New Jersey City
Freshman right-hander Jose Ortiz hurled a complete-game two-hit shutout as NJCU thrashed Dickinson, 11-0 in seven innings. In seven innings he struck out eight without allowing a walk.
SP Eric Schmidt, Sr., Adrian
Schmidt tossed a complete game, two-hitter on Friday in a 1-0 win over North Central (Ill.). For Schmidt, it was his 23rd career victory which moved him in a tie for third-most wins at Adrian. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and pitched into the ninth for the second time in his career.
RP Jack Mercer, Fr., Rhodes
Jack Mercer came in relief on Saturday against Babson with the bases loaded one out in a 3-2 game to retire the next two hitters without giving up a run. He pitched five and one-third innings allowing three hits, no walks and one strikeout while allowing zero runs in a 4-2 victory. The Houston, Texas native earned the win in the game putting him at 2-0 on the season.