DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending March 25. Florida Atlantic senior outfielder Mike McKenna was named National Hitter of the Week, while Missouri junior right-hander Aaron Crow was named National Pitcher of the Week.
The NCBWA board reviews candidates from each Division I conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
McKenna went 12-for-22 (.545 BA) with seven home runs and 19 RBI in leading the Owls to a 6-0 week. He homered three times in FAU's opening game against conference opponent Middle Tennessee, going 4-for-5 with seven RBI. McKenna began the week by belting two homers and driving in five against Cornell in a 10-1 Owls victory. He had three RBI one night later against Rutgers and went on to total 10 runs and 34 total bases in just six games. McKenna is hitting .434 this season leading the SBC in homers (13), RBI (43) and total bases (82). McKenna was phenomenal during FAU's recent homestand, homering nine times in 10 games driving in 26 runs and totaling 46 bases.
Crow recorded his second straight complete-game shutout on Friday against No. 13 Baylor. The 2007 All-Big 12 First Team performer did not allow a run while improving his streak of scoreless innings to 25.2. Crow struck out 10 and allowed just three hits on the night, retiring the final eight batters he faced, including striking out the last five. The Wakarusa, Kan. hurler is 5-0 on the season and has struck out a Big 12-leading 51 batters in 35 innings of work. His second shutout, a conference high, lowered his ERA to 1.03
With this week's honor, Crow automatically is named to the watch list for Roger Clemens Award, given to the national collegiate pitcher of the year, sponsored by the Greater Houston Baseball Organization.
Fort Worth-based Pro-Line Athletic supplies the official cap to more than 100 Division I college teams and official uniforms and team wear to six Division I college teams. This is the fourth season Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA's Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line, visit their Web site at prolineathletic.com.
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 Pro-Line Athletic Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.
2008 Pro-Line Athletic Players of the Week:
Feb. 26: Dustin Ackley, North Carolina (Hitter);
Lance Lynn, Ole Miss (Pitcher)
· March 4: Sawyer Carroll, Kentucky (Hitter); Barry
Bowden, Southern Miss and Joey Seal, Norfolk State (Pitcher)
· March 11: Aaron Murphree, Arkansas (Hitter); David
Coulon, Arizona (Pitcher)
· March 18: Tyler Kuhn, West Virginia (Hitter);
Ricky Bowen, Mississippi State (Pitcher)
· March 25: Mike McKenna, Florida Atlantic (Hitter);
Aaron Crow, Missouri (Pitcher)
· April 1: Alan Ahmady, Fresno State (Hitter); Brandon
McClurg, Lipsomb and Josh Romanski, San Diego (Pitcher)
· April 8: Ryan Pond, N.C. State (Hitter); Nick
Haughian, Washington (Pitcher)
· April 15: Jacob Priday, Missouri (Hitter); Stephen
Strasburg, San Diego State (Pitcher)
· April 22: Dexter Fontenot, Louisiana-Monroe (Hitter);
Christopher Manno, Duke (Pitcher)
· April 29: Ty Wright, Georgia Southern (Hitter);
Chris Hernandez, Miami (Pitcher)
· May 6: Clay Whittemore, Jacksonville State (Hitter);
Kenn Kasparek, Texas (Pitcher)
· May 13: David Anderson, Coastal Carolina (Hitter);
Andrew Liebel, Long Beach State (Pitcher)
· May 20: Jeremie Tice, College of Charleston (Hitter);
Scott Swinson, Maryland (Pitcher)
Related link:
Pro-Line Athletic Player of the Week plaques