DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 29. Georgia Southern junior designated hitter Ty Wright was named National Hitter of the Week, while Miami freshman left-hander Chris Hernandez 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.
Wright finished the week batting .500 (12-24) with five doubles, one triple and two home runs. He scored seven runs and drove in 12, posting a 1.042 slugging percentage. Wright was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts and recorded a .538 on-base percentage as the Eagles went 5-0 last week. The Montrose, Ga., native became the second Eagle this month to hit for the cycle in consecutive innings during game three of the Wofford series (1B in 1st, HR, 3B and 2B). He joins David Richardson, who accomplished the feat during game one at the College of Charleston. During the three-game sweep at Wofford, Wright went 7-for-14 with five runs and seven RBI. Earlier in the week, Wright hit a game-winning, two-run double in the 11th inning in a 6-4 win at Kennesaw State.
A native of Miami, Fla., Hernandez matched a career-high 11 strikeouts in a career-long eight innings to lead No. 1 Miami to a series-opening 1-0 win over No. 16 Virginia on April 25. The rookie southpaw struck out eight of the first 11 batters he faced and retired 11 of the final 13 batters, giving up only two hits and one walk.
With this week's honor, Hernandez 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