DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has named its Dick Howser Trophy Players of the Month for March, presented by The Game Headwear, tabbing Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana its National Hitter of the Month and Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith its National Pitcher of the Month.
A junior out of Sydney, Australia, Bazzana put up a monster month of March, hitting .475 (29-for-61) in 16 games with 27 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 26 RBI. He put up a staggering 20-3 walk-strikeout ratio during the month, with a 1.066 slugging and a .610 on-base percentage. On the year, he has hit .465 (47-for-101) with six doubles, three triples, 16 homers and 39 RBI, stealing six bases and sporting a .606 on-base and a 1.059 slugging mark. A two-time Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week in March, Bazzana ranks third in the NCAA in batting average and fifth in runs scored.
Smith, a junior southpaw out of Bullard, Texas, leads the nation’s top-ranked team and posted a prolific month of March, going 5-0 in his five starts, with a 0.96 ERA. He worked 28 innings, allowing just 12 hits and three runs, walking seven and striking out 53. On the year, Smith has a 1.54 ERA in seven starts with 72 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 35 innings. Smith leads the nation in strikeouts and posted double-figure strikeout numbers in four of his five starts during the month.
This marks the ninth consecutive year that the NCBWA has honored a player and pitcher of the month. 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, ncbwa.com.