| Brandon O’Connell has 13 hits in 16 at-bats last week for
the UW-Stour Blue Devils. UW-Stout sports information |
Brandon O’Connell of UW-Stout raised his batting average
over 100 points and Sean White of Dickinson struck out an
incredible 21 batters in one game, earning them the seventh NCAA
Division III National Hitter and Pitcher of the Week honors
respectively for the week of April 11-17, 2011, as voted on by a
panel of D-III members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association.
O’Connell, a senior third baseman from Elk Mound,
Wis., led the Blue Devils to a 3-1 week by batting .813
(13-16) to raise his average from .302 to .405. He scored seven
runs, had five doubles, one home run, 12 RBI, a slugging percentage
of 1.313, and an on base percentage of .842. Against Viterbo, he
went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and hit a two-run home run in a
nine-run fifth inning for Stout’s final runs in a 12-8
comeback win. In the second game, he went 3-for-4 with a double,
two runs scored and two RBI, hitting a game-winning, walk-off
single in the bottom of the seventh to cap a seven-run rally for a
14-13 win. In a split against No. 14-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater,
he went 8-for-10 on the day with four doubles and eight RBI.
He had three doubles in the second game, going 4-for-5 with six
RBI. O’Connell was named the WIAC Player of the Week.
| Sean White struck out 21 batters in his only start
last week for Dickinson. Dickinson sports information |
White, a junior southpaw from Summit, N.J., turned in one of the
single greatest pitching performances in school, conference, and
NCAA Division III history, recording a school-record 21 strikeouts
in a nine-inning complete-game effort on Friday. He scattered four
hits in a 19-0 shutout against McDaniel College, breaking the
school strikeouts record of 20 that was set in 1913 and tied again
in 1919. He is unofficially just the sixth player in D-III history
to record at least 21 strikeouts in a game. White was named the
Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Honorable Mention Hitters: John Holm
(Wabash) - .688 (11-16), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 11 RBI,
9 runs, 1.750 slugging pct.; John Apostolo (Mitchell) - .769
(10-13), 1 double, 1 triple, 1 home run, 9 RBI, 5 runs, 1.231
slugging pct.; Kevin Callahan (Illinois Wesleyan) - .529 (9-17), 1
double, 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 7 runs, 1.294 slugging pct.; Tim Wilson
(Linfield) - .571 (8-14), 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 1.429 slugging pct.;
Brandon Peterson (St. Scholastica) - .538 (7-13), 1 double, 3 home
runs, 8 RBI, 6 runs, 1.308 slugging pct.; Michael Tucker (Anderson)
- .556 (10-18), 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs, 1.333
slugging pct.; Rob McPike (DePauw) - .733 (11-15), 3 doubles, 2
triples 6 RBI, 6 runs, 1.200 slugging pct.; Travis Wramble
(Alvernia) - .714 (10-14), 1 double, 1 home run, 10 RBI, 5 runs,
1.000 slugging pct.; Charles Bruchu (St. Thomas MN) - .563 (9-16),
2 doubles, 3 RBI, 3 runs, .688 slugging pct.
Honorable Mention Pitchers: Travis Zilg (Ramapo)
- 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 ip, 1 cg, 1 hit, 5 strikeouts; Brett Bugielski
(Hamline) - 1-0, 3 saves, 0.00 ERA, 7.1 ip, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts;
Hobs Donovan (DePauw) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 7 strikeouts;
Phillip Bertocci (Clark) - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 1 hit, 2
strikeouts; Luke Ball (Principia) - 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 ip, 1 cg, 4
hits, 11 strikeouts; Spencer Smithyle Davis (McMurry) - 2-0, 0.00
ERA, 14.2 ip, 1 cg, 7 hits, 11 strikeouts; Danny Niehaus
(Transylvania) - 0-0, 3 saves, 3.0 ip, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts; Dustin
LeFave (SUNY-Oswego) - 1-0, 0.00, 9.0, 1 cg, 5 hits, 8
strikeouts.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of
college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and
publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card,
directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Howser
Award Player of the Year, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA
All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America
awards, publication and writing contests.
2011 Winners:
Feb. 28-Mar. 6 Hitter of the Week: Kevin
Brashears (Shenandoah)
Pitcher of the Week: Matt McAllister (Penn State-Abington)
Mar.
7-13
Hitter of the Week: Michael Pascarella (Pittsburgh-Bradford)
Pitcher of the Week: Lee Schurlknight (Sewanee)
Mar. 14-20
Hitter of the Week: Jonathan Mason (Bridgewater)
Pitcher of the Week: Josh Scott (Baldwin-Wallace)
Mar. 21-27
Hitter of the Week: Dan Haugh (Wheaton MA)
Pitcher of the Week: Mike McManus (Mount Saint Vincent)
Mar. 28-Apr. 3 Hitter of the Week: Trent
Svehla (Simpson IA)
Pitcher of the Week: Mark DiTommaso (Western New England)
Apr.
4-10
Hitter of the Week: Ryan Darner (Thomas More)
Pitcher of the Week: Travis Ratliff (SUNY-Cortland)
Apr.
11-17
Hitter of the Week: Brandon O’Connell (Wisconsin-Stout)
Pitcher of the Week: Sean White (Dickinson)