A .900 average and two no-hitters claimed the week five National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. III Hitter, Pitcher, and Rookie of the Week awards. This week’s selections covered games played March 20-26.
HITTER OF THE WEEK
Gordon College (Massachusetts) sophomore third baseman CJ Demers went an astounding 18-for-20 (.900) at the dish over four games last week as his team went 3-1. Demers tallied 10 runs, nine RBI, three doubles, a homer, a walk, and a stolen base during his near-perfect week. Demers went 5-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI in Tuesday’s 14-6 win at Salem State University (Massachusetts) and followed that up with a 5-for-6 afternoon with six RBI, two runs scored, and a home run in a 19-9 win at Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Wednesday. The D3baseball.com Team of the Week honoree and Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Week capped the four-game stretch with an 8-for-9 doubleheader against Curry College (Massachusetts).
Honorable Mention Hitter: Justin Fogel, Jr., C, Pennsylvania State University Abington – D3baseball.com Team of the Week selection and United East Conference Player of the Week. Batted 12-for-17 for a .706 average over four games. Totaled 13 RBI, nine runs, four doubles, three stolen bases, and two home runs in a 3-1 week for the Nittany Lions. Went 5-for-6 in the opening game of a three-game set with Wells College (New York). Tallied four RBI in the second and third games of the series.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
State University of New York at Cortland sophomore Dylan Beers threw a no-hitter as Cortland defeated visiting State University of New York at Oswego on Friday in the opening game of a State University of New York Athletic Conference doubleheader. Beers struck out 12 batters in the game, which was called after seven innings due to the 10-run rule. A sixth-inning walk kept Beers from a perfect game. The no-hitter is the 21st in program history and the first since 2018. Beers was named to D3baseball.com’s Team of the Week and was the SUNYAC Pitcher of the Week. Of note, Beers is Cortland’s Div. III-leading eighth NCBWA weekly awards selection.
Honorable Mention Pitcher: Matt Moore, Jr., University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Pitched a nine-inning no-hitter against Bard College (New York) on March 21 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Struck out 10 and walked two. Moore’s no-hitter marked the first since the program was revived in 2021. Moore was named to D3baseball.com’s Team of the Week and was the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kwik Trip Pitcher of the Week.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Centenary College of Louisiana freshman pitcher Aidan Reichek led the Gents with a seven-inning no-hitter in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday against the University of Dallas (Texas). The 18-0 run-rule victory saw Reichek strike out seven, walk just one, and face 24 batters. Reichek needed just 70 pitches in what marked the program’s second no-hitter in its Div. III era. Reichek was named to D3baseball.com’s Team of the Week and was the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.
ABOUT THE NCBWA
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 contests, and writing contests.
2023 WINNERS
- Month of February: Jackson Hobbs, N.C. Wesleyan (Hitter); David Muirhead, Marymount (Pitcher); Jake Estrada, Ozarks & Ryan Kramer, Wooster (co-Rookie)
- March 8 (games played February 27-March 5): Avery Carnicom, Alma (Hitter); Matt Josselyn, Bridgewater State (Pitcher); Nathan Mankoski, Pitt-Greensburg (Rookie)
- March 15 (games played March 6-12): DJ Perron, UMass Dartmouth (Hitter); Nick Guidas, Grove City (Pitcher); Derek Archer, Westminster (Mo.) (Rookie)
- March 22 (games played March 13-19): Anthony Raimo, Keystone (Hitter); Jackson Teer, Trinity (Texas) (Pitcher); Evan Sykes, Greensboro (Rookie)
- March 29 (games played March 20-26): CJ Demers, Gordon (Hitter); Dylan Beers, Cortland (Pitcher); Aiden Reichek, Centenary (La.) (Rookie)