DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
has announced its fourth NCAA Division III National Players of the Week
for the 2006 season, with top honors going to a pair of Texas athletes,
first baseman/designated hitter J.B. Sowyrda of Trinity University
(Texas) and right-hander Matt Mendel of Southwestern University for
March 20-26.
Sowyrda, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, was named the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for leading the 18th-ranked
Tigers to a 7-1 record during the week, including three wins in a four-game
series with Rhodes over the weekend. For the week, he hit .500 (14-28),
with 15 RBI, nine runs scored, and a .563 on-base percentage. Among his
14 hits, he cracked two doubles, a triple, and three homers for a slugging
percentage of .964. Sowyrda raised his batting average from .191 to .281
over the past week, and has scored 25 runs and driven in 30. He is tied
for the team lead with three triples and is tied for second on the team
with four home runs.
Mendel, a junior from Spring, Texas, was named the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete game nine-inning
no-hitter to defeat visiting Carleton College. In halting an eight-game
losing skid by the Pirates, he struck out a season-high 10 batters as the
Pirates trimmed the visiting Knights 7-0. Mendel's no-hitter is the first
of the season for Southwestern, and his 10 strikeouts is also a team season-high.
For the season, Mendel is 13th in the SCAC in ERA at 3.34 and has allowed
opposing hitters just a .241 batting average (seventh in the SCAC). He has
worked 35.0 innings, struck out 36 (tied for fourth in the SCAC) and is
2-1 in eight appearances.
Honorable mention hitters: Zac Bireley (Manchester) .600 (12-20),
8 runs, 8 RBI, 8 double, 1.000 slugging pct.; Blake Bullis (College of New
Jersey) · .545 (12-22), 10 runs, 5 RBI, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs,
1.091 slugging pct.; Chris Dunbar (Puget Sound) · .412 (7-17), 12 RBI, 1
double, 1 triple, 2 grand slams, hit for cycle; Kurt Bednarcyk (Rochester)
· .643 (9-14), 3 runs, 3 RBI, 1 double, 3 steals, .714 slugging pct.
Honorable mention pitchers: Jon Oliver (Wooster) 1-0, 0.00 ERA,
7 ip, 9 strikeouts, no-hitter vs. Oberlin; Dan Leslie (St. Thomas MN) ·
2-0, 1.28 ERA, 14 ip, 10 hits, 14 strikeouts; Matt Daley (Gwynedd-Mercy)
· 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 5 strikeouts, no-hitter vs. Eastern; Jeff Stith (SUNY
New Paltz) · 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 ip, 7 hits, 23 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. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's
official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
For more information on the NCBWA Division III Players of the Week, contact
Blair Cash at George
Fox University at 503-554-2926.