DALLAS (NCBWA) Conjuring up images of famous major leaguers
Babe Ruth and Johnny VanderMeer, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association has announced its eighth NCAA Division III National Players
of the Week for the 2006 season, outfielder Danny Ruth of Hardin-Simmons
University (Abilene, Texas) for Hitter of the Week and double no-hit right-hander
Alex Chapple of Aurora University (Aurora, Ill.) for Pitcher of the
Week for games of April 17-23.
Ruth, a junior playing in his home town of Abilene, hit like his namesake
with a remarkable weekend for the Cowboys, falling a home run short of hitting
for the cycle in back-to-back games. He went 9-for-12 (.750) over the weekend
with 9 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 triples, a home run, 8 RBI and a slugging
percentage of 1.500 as the Cowboys swept Sul Ross State University to earn
a first-round home game in the American Southwest Conference Championship
Series. He hit for the cycle in the second game on Saturday - and it all
came in the first four innings. He leads the ASC in triples with six on
the year. Ruth was the ASC West Division Hitter of the Week.
Chapple, a senior from Yorkville, Ill., emulated a feat achieved only
by VanderMeer in the major leagues when he threw back-to-back no-hitters
against Concordia University (Ill.) on April 15, then stymied Benedictine
University (Ill.) on April 22. In the Benedictine game, he allowed no runs,
no hits, walked one, hit one batter, and struck out 10. He currently has
a scoreless streak of 23 innings with three straight complete-game shutouts.
He is 4-0 in Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference action with a 0.60 ERA, 28
strikeouts, and 10 hits allowed in 30 innings pitched, and 6-1 overall with
a 1.76 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 25 hits allowed in 46 innings.
Honorable mention hitters: Sammy Hall (Ohio Wesleyan) .500 (7-14),
6 runs, 10 RBI, 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 1.286 slugging pct.; Blake Bullis
(College of New Jersey) · .600 (6-10), 9 runs, 8 RBI, 3 home runs, 3 steals,
1.500 slugging pct.; Matt Kleine (DePauw) · .667 (10-15), 7 runs, 7 RBI,
3 doubles, .867 slugging pct.; Terence Mull (Misericordia) · .714 (10-14),
7 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple, .928 slugging pct.; Justin Gordon (Emory) · .643
(9-14), 4 runs, 6 RBI, 2 doubles, .786 slugging pct.; Aaron Madson (Gustavus
Adolphus) · .571 (12-21), 9 runs, 7 RBI, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs,
1.095 slugging pct.
Honorable mention pitchers: Brian Spicer (Gettysburg) 1-0, 0.0
ERA, 9 ip, 6 hits, 17 strikeouts; Mark Moriarty (St. Scholastica) · 2-0,
1.29 ERA, 14 ip, 6 hits, 26 strikeouts; Michael Vicaro (Montclair State)
· 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 3 hits, 11 strikeouts; Matt Kutz (Elizabethtown)
· 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 ip, 1 hits, 10 strikeouts; Todd Mathison (St. Olaf) ·
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 ip, 3 hits, 5 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.