NCBWA NAMES DIVISION INATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 1. Ole Miss junior outfielder J.B. Woodman was named National Hitter of the Week, while West Virginia junior right-handed pitcher Chad Donato 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.


Woodman recorded two hits in each of the Rebels' four games this week. The Orlando, Fla., native went 6-for-12 with three home runs, two doubles and eight RBI in the weekend matchup vs. No. 8 LSU, helping Ole Miss conquer the rivalry series. From center field, Woodman threw three runners out at the plate over the weekend, and he now has a team-high nine outfield assists this season. He prevented another run from scoring by making a diving catch to end the inning, leaving LSU runners on base. Two of his home runs were to dead center field, tallying a career-high four RBI to lead the Rebels to a rubber match victory. He leads Ole Miss in multi-hit games (18), hits (54), home runs (8) and RBI (38).


Donato was masterful on the mound in WVU's 10-0 victory on Friday against Baylor, throwing a two-hit, complete game shutout. It was WVU's first complete game of the season and the second of Donato's career. The Cypress, Texas, native held Baylor two hits with nine strikeouts and did not walk a batter. The sophomore threw 87 pitches and faced more than three batters in an inning just three times. BU did not advance a runner past first base all night and was held to a .067 batting average.


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 NCBWA Division I National Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.


2016 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:

Feb. 21: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt (Hitter); Zach Muckenhirn, North Dakota (Pitcher)

· Feb. 28: Brandon Gutzler, Murray State (Hitter); Logan Shore, Florida (Pitcher)

· March 6: Darik Hall, Dallas Baptist (Hitter); Lucas Humpal, Texas State (Pitcher)

· March 13: Joe Cronin, Boston College (Hitter); Jesse Scholtens, Wright State (Pitcher)

· March 20: John Jones, South Carolina (Hitter); Seth Romero, Houston (Pitcher)

· March 27: Tyler Chadwick, Coastal Carolina (Hitter); Ryan Hingst, Arizona State (Pitcher)

· April 5: Tanner Kirwer, Niagara (Hitter); Andrew Wantz, UNCG (Pitcher)

· April 12: Michael Davis, Texas Tech (Hitter); Zac Gallen, North Carolina (Pitcher)

· April 19: Greg Guers, Penn State (Hitter); Shane McCarthy, Seton Hall (Pitcher)

· April 26: Logan Gray, Austin Peay (Hitter); Cody Sedlock, Illinois (Pitcher)

· May 3: J.B Woodman, Ole Miss (Hitter); Chad Donato, West Virginia (Pitcher)

· May 10: Brandon Soat, IPFW (Hitter); Kyle Simonds, Texas A&M (Pitcher)

· May 17: Blake Benefield, Middle Tennessee (Hitter); Eric Lauer, Kent State (Pitcher)

· May 24: Dillon Cooper, Alabama State (Hitter); Sam Perez, Missouri State (Pitcher)


2016 NCBWA Division I Players of the Month:

February: Taylor Braley, Southern Miss (Hitter); Brendon McKay, Lousiville (Pitcher)

· March: Seth Beer, Clemson (Hitter); Seth Romero, Houston and Clarke Schmidt, South Carolina (Pitcher)

· April: Hunter Melton, Texas A&M (Hitter); Will Hibbs, Lamar (Pitcher)

· May: Daniel Johnson, New Mexico State (Hitter); Dakota Hudson, Mississippi State (Pitcher)