CHICAGO (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has released its Division III National Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for the period ending March 16.
Hardin Simmons sophomore OF Elliot Strader was named the National Hitter of the Week, while Lebanon Valley's Dennis Reilly won the Pitcher of the Week honors. A panel of Division III NCBWA members reviews candidates from each Division III Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Strader made the most of his five spring break games, batting .625 (10-for-16) with three multiple-hit games. The sophomore opened the week 6-for-10 in his three Abilene Classic games (March 10-12), collecting two hits against Southwestern and three vs. Montclair State. Strader closed the week hitting .667 (4-for-6) in a pair of games against ASC West rival Howard Payne (March 14-15), including a 3-for-4 performance in the series opener.
Reilly pitched allowed just two earned runs in 14 innings pitched for LVC last week. He fired a seven-hit complete-game victory in a seven-inning, 4-1 win over John Jay College. Against the Bloodhounds, Reilly walked only two and struck out five while making his season debut. Reilly was just as effective in his no-decision against the College of New Jersey, ranked No. 3 in a preseason poll. Reilly worked seven innings and surrendered just three hits and one walk.