NCBWA NAMES PRO-LINE ATHLETICNATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 23.


UCF freshman shortstop Darnell Sweeney was named National Hitter of the Week, while Presbyterian sophomore right-hander Andrew Foushee 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.


Sweeney dominated Tulane pitching in UCF's first series win ever in New Orleans. The Miramar, Fla., native went 11-for-13 for an .846 average, a 1.385 slugging percentage, a .800 on-base percentage and a 2.185 OPS in the 2-1 week for the Knights. He racked up 10 RBIs, eight runs, four doubles, a home run, one walk, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. Of the four outs Sweeney did make at the plate, two were on sacrifices and another was an RBI fielder's choice.


He opened the series by going 4-for-5 on Thursday, falling a triple shy of hitting for the cycle while driving in five runs. One day later, Sweeney went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. He guided UCF to a 17-6 seven-inning win in the finale by going 5-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, four runs and a stolen base. Sweeney's batting average rose from .329 to a season-ending .358, which ranks among the top true freshmen in the country.


Foushee led the Blue Hose to a victory in their season finale with a complete game four-hit shutout at VMI last Friday. The Augusta, Ga., native struck out 10 batters and walked just two hitters, and retired the final 16 batters he faced to earn his second win of the season. Foushee struck out the side in the second inning and held the Keydets to a .133 batting average on the night.


Pro-Line Athletic, owned by Badger Sport, supplies the cap and uniforms to several Division I college teams. This is the sixth 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 or Badger Sports, visit their Web sites at prolineathletic.com and badgersport.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.


2010 Pro-Line Athletic Players of the Week:

Feb. 23: Zack MacPhee, Arizona State (Hitter);
Matt Bywater, Pepperdine (Pitcher)


· March 2: Brian Fletcher, Auburn (Hitter); Jason
Mitchell, Texas-Arlington (Pitcher)


· March 9: Mark Micowski, Georgia State (Hitter);
Michael Goodnight, Houston (Pitcher)


· March 16: Pat Biserta, Rutgers (Hitter); Billy
Barber, Richmond (Pitcher)


· March 23: Hunter Morris, Auburn (Hitter); Teddy
Kaufman, USF (Pitcher)


· March 30: Mark Castellitto, Gonzaga (Hitter);
Randy Fontanez, USF (Pitcher)


· April 6: Austin Wates, Virginia Tech (Hitter);
Andrew Barbosa, USF (Pitcher)


· April 13: Steve McQuail, Canisius (Hitter); Greg
Gonzalez, Fresno State (Pitcher)


· April 20: Drew Lee, Morehead State (Hitter); Cole
Green, Texas (Pitcher)


· April 27: Jake Magner, North Dakota (Hitter);
Kendall Lewis, Eastern Michigan (Pitcher)


· May 4: Preston Springer, Wichita State (Hitter);
Justin LaTempa, Oregon (Pitcher)


· May 11: Grant Buckner, West Virginia (Hitter);
Kyle Blair, San Diego (Pitcher)


· May 18: Tony Nix, UC Riverside (Hitter); C.J.
Huyett, Old Dominion (Pitcher)


· May 25: Darnell Sweeney, UCF (Hitter); Andrew
Foushee, Presbyterian (Pitcher)