DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week awards presented by The Game Headwear for the period ending March 31. North Carolina senior first baseman Parks Harber was named National Hitter of the Week, while Washington State senior right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Harber hit six home runs in 17 at-bats during four games, leading the Tar Heels to a 4-0 record last week, including a three-game sweep of No. 12 Wake Forest. He batted .471 (8-for-17) with an OPS of 2.029, nine RBI, and 26 total bases.
Harber smashed two home runs against North Carolina A&T on Tuesday to begin the week and another in the series opener against the Demon Deacons on Friday. In the second game of the series at Wake Forest, he belted three home runs and set the school record for consecutive games with a home run at five.
He is the second Tar Heel to earn ACC Player of the Week honors this season, joining week one recipient, junior outfielder Vance Honeycutt.
Taylor broke the previous WSU modern day record of 16 strikeouts set by John Olerud against Eastern Washington in 1988 and WSU Pac-10/12 mark of 13 set by James Freeman (2005, at SE Louisiana), matched by Matt Way (2009, Washington) and Zane Mills (2021, at Dixie State). Taylor's one-hit shutout is the first by a Cougar since he shut out Arizona State in 2022 and is the first one-hitter since Taylor and three relievers one-hit No. 15 Oregon State in Corvallis last season.
The senior did not walk or hit a batter and allowed just a first-inning, two-out infield single before retiring the next 25 Husky hitters. Fifteen of the 17 strikeouts were swinging, and the 17 strikeouts are tied for the second-most by a pitcher in the country this season and are the most by a Pac-12 pitcher this season.
Taylor was locked in throughout the night, posting a scoreless first inning and struck out 10 straight hitters at one point after striking out the final hitter in the first inning and then struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings before the first UW batter flew out to center to start the fifth inning. Taylor retired the next two hitters in the frame before striking out the side for a fourth time in the sixth inning. Taylor recorded two more strikeouts in the eighth inning and worked a perfect ninth with a strikeout, flyout to right field and a popout to shortstop to clinch the 4-0 Cougar win, WSU's first shutout against Washington since 1995 and first in Seattle since 1989.
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, contact NCBWA Executive Associate Director Mike Montoro (304-293-2821, mike.montoro@mail.wvu.edu).