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Preston Ludwick and Brian Johnson earned the NCBWA honors |
Three different regions are represented in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III awards, as a 9-for-10 performance in a Saturday twin bill, a no-hitter, and a one-hitter garnered the hitter, pitcher, and rookie honors, respectively for performances spanning March 18-24.
D3baseball.com Team of the Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |6 | 7
HITTER OF WEEK
Sophomore Preston Ludwick was impressive at the plate for Centenary College of Louisiana last week. The Gents’ first baseman slashed .833/.857/1.500 during Centenary’s three-game series with the University of Dallas. The sophomore hit for the cycle over the course of the weekend, drove in eight runs, scored four times, and swiped a pair of bases. Ludwick smashed a two-run homer in Friday night’s series opener, then went on to go 9-for-10 during Saturday’s twin bill with four extra base hits, six RBI, and the two steals.
Honorable Mention Hitter: Ryan Serrato, Sr., UTL, Southern Vermont College - Registered hits in each of the first seven games of the week to extend his hitting streak to 12, and he turned in a .606 (20-for-33) batting average through eight total contests. Additionally, the senior had 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, a .649 on-base percentage, and an .879 slugging percentage after notching four doubles, a triple, and a home run. Serrato struck out only three times in his 37 total plate appearances, and he committed just two errors in 51 total chances in the field.
Past Winners:
Week 1: Tre D'Amico, Frostburg State
Week 2: Deauton Delgado, Louisiana College
Week 3: Davis Mikell, Castleton
Week 4: Holden Bridge, Swarthmore
PITCHER OF WEEK
Springfield College senior Brian Johnson became the first student-athlete in the program’s Div. III history to throw multiple no-hitters. Johnson, who picked up his first win of the season on Sunday with the Pride’s 7-1 win against Emerson College, struck out nine and only allowed one walk. With this outing, Johnson now leads the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference in strikeouts per game at 11.44.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Deauton Delgado, Sr., Louisiana College – Threw the second no-hitter in program history, as Louisiana College defeated No. 11 Concordia University Texas 6-0 as part of a series sweep over the weekend. He shut down the Tornado offense and only allowed four total base runners on three walks and one hit batter in seven innings. Delgado struck out five along the way.
Noteworthy, Delgado was the 2019 NCBWA Div. III Hitter of the Week for the week ending March 3.
Past Winners:
Week 1: Keith Long, Texas-Tyler
Week 2: David Hall, Belhaven
Week 3: Jake Binder, Ithaca
Week 3: Tyler Showers, Arcadia
ROOKIE OF WEEK
St. Norbert College’s Mason Sefcik’s first collegiate start was a dandy, as the rookie almost had a flawless game during the Green Knights’ 10-0 seven-inning win over Keuka College. Sefcik allowed one hit during his complete-game shutout, didn’t allow a runner past second base, and struck out four.
Past Winners:
Week 1: Andrew Santobuono, Alfred State
Week 2: Casey Jones, St. Vincent
Week 3: Jacob Thompson, Oberlin
Week 4: Colton Lineman, Grove City
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 Dick Howser Player of the Year Award, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.