The Team of the Week is D3baseball.com's weekly honor roll, in its fifth 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 second Team of the Week of the 2016 season.
Games of February 15-21, 2016
C Brandon Walker, So., Christopher Newport
Walker played in four games and slugged 1.444 for the week, hitting .667 in nine official at-bats. He finished the week with three extra-base hits (double, two home runs) for 13 total bases, and also reached base by HBP or walk four times, running his OBP to .769 in 14 plate appearances. Also made 34 putouts behind the plate without an error and was part of one key inning-ending double play.
1B Nik Milvo, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
Collected nine hits (16 AB) in three games over the weekend to post a .563 average at Piedmont College's Early Spring Classic. He set the school record with 18 putouts in a win over Piedmont on Saturday. He posted two triples, a double, a home run, while stealing three bases.
2B Connor Griffin, Sr., Cortland
In his one appearance, Griffin went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, sac fly and three RBI in a 27-13 win at fourth-ranked Salisbury. He also handled six fielding chances (three putouts, three assists) without an error.
SS Rob Trenk, Gr., Brandeis
Trenk led the Judges to a three-game sweep of St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) with seven hits in 12 at-bats. He scored three time and drove in five.
3B Travis Lodge, Sr., Randolph-Macon
Lodge reached base in all eight plate appearances over a three-game span this past weekend. Hit a pinch-hit homer against Alvernia in a 17-13 victory on Saturday. In a 4-3 win in the opener on Sunday vs. RPI, went 1-for-1 with two walks and was 4-for-4 in the nightcap, a 14-1 win over RPI. had a triple, 2 runs and one RBI.
OF Kenner Berry, Jr., Bridgewater (Va.)
Berry put up big numbers in the Eagles first four games of the season, hitting .588 with 11 RBI, seven runs and a 1.353 slugging percentage. He had six extra base hits (two doubles, triple, three home runs).
OF Fabio Ricci, Sr., Cortland
Ricci batted .778 (7-for-9) with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and four runs scored in two wins at fourth-ranked Salisbury. He went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs in an 8-4 victory Saturday and was 3-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs in a 27-13 win Sunday.
OF Tommy Vitaletti, Sr., Christopher Newport
In four games this week, Vitaletti torched opposing pitchers for a .688 average (11-for-16), 1.313 slugging percentage and .737 OBP. He had 11 RBI with five extra-base hits, scoring seven times and adding seven steals for good measure.
DH Chris Ervin, Maryville (Tenn.)
Ervin hit .500 (6-for-12) on the week with four of the hits going for extra bases (three doubles, one home run). He drove in seven runs and scored four times.
SP Dylan Angelo,Jr., Southern Vt.
Angelo had a terrific start Sunday morning for Southern Vermont, throwing his second career complete-game shutout in a 3-0 win at Washington and Lee. He blanked the Generals while giving up just five hits and no walks, striking out four on the day in the Mountaineers' second straight victory.
SP Rob Caudill, Sr., Centre
Caudill started the season off with an impressive outing, fanning 13 batters in seven innings of work in Centre's 6-1 win over Wilmington (Ohio) on Saturday. The senior scattered three hits across those seven innings, allowing one unearned run without walking a batter. He added a putout and two assists in the field, as well.
SP Sam Miller, Sr., Brandeis
Miller earned his first victory of the year with 5.2 innings of one-hit ball against St. Joseph's (Brooklyn). He allowed just a first-inning single, then retired 15 Bear batters in a row.
SP Darrell Thompson, Sr., Shenandoah
Thompson allowed three baserunners (two hits, walk) in 5.0 shutout innings to earn his first win of the season as Shenandoah went on to shut out Case Western. He totaled 10 strikeouts in the game.
RP Joe McCormack, Sr., Southwestern (Tex.)
McCormack retired all nine batters he faced last Friday to earn a three-inning save against Centenary. The left-hander fanned four and needed only 37 pitches (26 strikes) to close out the game. McCormack struckout four batters.