DALLAS (NCBWA) Washington College's Aaron Barclay and Kenyon College's Sam Gillespie gained Hitter and Pitcher of the Week standing on the Division III National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association awards for the period of March 14-20.
Barclay, a freshman infielder/catcher from Crofton, Md., hit a team-best .632 (12-for-19) with two home runs, 13 RBI, three doubles, 10 runs scored, 21 total bases, a .714 on-base percentage and a 1.105 slugging percentage in a 7-1 week for the Shoremen. In a 19-8 win over Albertus Magnus in game two of a doubleheader, he went 2-for-2 with a home run and a double to record five RBI and a game-best four runs scored. Earlier in the day versus Albertus Magnus, the Centennial Conference's Hitter of the Week went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, three RBI, a double, and a home run in an 11-0 win. In WC's 9-3 win over Principia in the first game on Tuesday, he had two RBI and reached base twice. In the team's 3-2 victory over Benedict on Wednesday, he went 3-for-4 and scored the game-winning run and also notched a double.
Gillespie, a senior right-handed pitcher from Darien, Ct., picked up a pair of victories on the hill last week to lead the Lords to a 6-1 record in Florida. The North Coast Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Week's best game occurred in a 3-2 win over Geneva when he fanned 13 batters, walked just one and allowed only three hits. In 13.0 total innings on the week, he struck out 22 batters and allowed just one earned run on five hits for a miniscule 0.69 ERA.
Honorable Mention Hitters: Wesley Moss, Fr., OF, Sul Ross St. - Was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle after Friday's 25-10 victory against McMurry. Moss was 15-of-22 for a .461 average and helped the Lobos post a 3-2 record. He drove in eight runs and scored eight more to go with four stolen bases in four attempts. Moss had three doubles, one triple, a home run and recorded 24 total bases with a 1.045 slugging percentage; Matt Waugaman, Jr., 1B, Grove City - Led Grove City to a 4-1 record last week by hitting .500 (10-for-20) while posting a 1.100 slugging percentage. He drove in 10 runs, scored seven times and belted two home runs, two triples and two doubles for the week. He tripled, doubled, singled and drove in four runs in a 13-6 win over regional powerhouse La Roche on March 14.
Honorable Mention Pitchers: John Griffits, Jr., RHP, Messiah - Helped Messiah open MAC Commonwealth action with a dominating performance over Albright. Griffitts pitched a complete-game shutout (6-0) to finish a doubleheader sweep of the Lions. In just seven innings, he struck out a career-high 14 batters, while allowing just two infield hits and one walk; Alex Bauermeister, So., RHP, Hamline - Threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout to help his team beat Carthage, 5-0, which is part of a stretch in which he is yet to allow a run in his first two starts. Bauermeister was brilliant yet again in his second outing of 2016, as he threw 102 pitches in the seven-inning, complete-game shutout. The Hamline starter took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed a Carthage runner to reach second base just twice in the game. He recorded at least one strikeout in each inning, and struck out the side in the seventh to finish the game with a serious exclamation point. He finished with 11 strikeouts against just two walks and two hits over his seven innings; Daniel Morris, Sr., RHP, Rhodes - Earned a win and a save to lead Rhodes to a 3-1 weekend including a huge SAA series win over Millsaps. Morris made two appearances, pitching 11 total innings and allowing no runs on five hits to go with seven strikeouts and a walk. Against Illinois Wesleyan in a midweek matchup, Morris picked up the two-inning save, allowing only one hit and shutting down the Titans for the 4-3 win. Morris then took the mound in game one against a good hitting Millsaps team, finishing with a complete game shutout, allowing only four hits to go with seven strikeouts and only one walk in a 2-0 victory over the Majors; Christian Herstine, Sr., RHP, Marietta - Struck out a career-high 14 batters in a one-hit shutout of Case Western Reserve. He allowed just four base runners. In addition to his strong pitching, he finished with six assists.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Player of the Year Award, Regional Player of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication and writing contests.