DALLAS (NCBWA) St. Mary's University of Minnesota's Willie Doll and Concordia University of Wisconsin's Dylan Gausman were tabbed the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division III Hitter and Pitcher of the Week for the period of April 18-24.
Doll, a senior outfielder from Amherst, Wis., came up big at the dish for the Cardinals. He recorded a stratospheric .733 average (11-for-15) with a pair of four-hit games and 10 runs scored, five RBI, two home runs, two triples, two walks, a double and six stolen bases. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week's on-base percentage was .789, and he slugged at a clip of 1.467. Doll was brilliant with the bat all week, starting with a 4-for-5 performance April 21 with a run and a stolen base in a 6-5 loss to Augsburg. He helped Saint Mary's return the favor in a big way with a two-run walk-off home run to cap a two homer game with three RBI and three runs in a dramatic 7-5 win. On April 23, Doll just missed the cycle in a 13-7 win over Macalester, as he went 4-for-4 with four runs, two RBI, two stolen bases, two singles, a double and a triple. He was 1-for-3 with two runs and two more steals in a 6-4 win to complete the sweep of the Scots.
It was another big week for hurlers, too, as no-hitter nominations spotted the landscape yet again. In the end, Gausman, a senior right-hander from Eagan, Minn., led the list. The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's Pitcher of the Week fired the first no-no for the Falcons since 2004 in a 4-0 win over Maranatha April 22. The junior struck out a career-best 11 while facing just two over the minimum. The two Sabercats who reached first did so via a walk and an error.
Honorable Mention Hitters: Justin Taylor, Jr., SS, Lancaster Bible College - Led the Chargers to a 3-1 week in conference play after batting .667 (10-for-15) with a .706 on-base percentage and 1.333 slugging percentage and adding two home runs, four doubles, seven RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases. Taylor broke the Charger program record for home runs in a season as he hit his 15th and 16th home runs of the year in back-to-back contests against Penn College April 22, where he also finished the doubleheader split going 4-for-6 with two doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored. He then finished 6-for-9 with two more doubles, three RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases in a sweep over Keuka April 23, giving him at least one hit, one RBI and one run scored in all four contests. Luis Navedo, Jr., OF, La Roche - Had one of the best weeks in school history hitting .538 (7 for 13) and slugging 1.538 with eight runs, eight RBI, four home runs, six walks, a double and a stolen base. In the Redhawks' two-game series at Pitt-Greensburg, Navedo hit four home runs and drove in seven runs. He also hit three home runs in one game and is currently tied for first in the AMCC with eight home runs on the season.
Honorable Mention Pitchers: Ryan Orr, So., RHP, Kalamazoo - Named MIAA Pitcher of the Week for second consecutive week after throwing a no-hitter in a 2-0 win at Olivet April 23. Orr struck out nine while walking none and throwing only 67 pitches. Orr, twirling the fourth no-hitter in Hornets' history, faced the minimum number of batters as only one reached on an error and was quickly retired trying to steal. Vic Santarsiero, Jr., RHP, Fontbonne - Recorded a no-hitter last week in his team's 5-0 win over Eureka. He went all seven innings in the game, walking just two, while striking out seven. Santarsiero retired the final 16 batters of the game to record his third win of the season. His only struggle was in the second inning as he walked two, but his defense backed him up with a double play after the first one. Terry Engels, Jr., RHP, St. John Fisher - Threw Fisher's second no-hitter of the season in a 4-1 win over Stevens on Saturday, extending the Cardinals' win streak to 14. Engles struck out five batters in the contest. The lone Stevens run occurred due to two walks and an error in the second inning.
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