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 Feb. 15. Baylor senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong and Kansas State’s junior shortstop Dee Kennedy were named National Co-Hitters of the Week, while Lamar senior right-handed pitcher Chris Olivier 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.
Armstrong became just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in one game, joining Louisville's Jim LaFountain (1976). The redshirt senior transfer from UT Arlington made an immediate impact in his Baylor debut, driving in a school-record 12 runs and tying the Baylor record with three home runs in a single game. He hit grand slams in the 3rd, 4th and 7th innings, ending the game on a "walk-off" third slam to envoke the run-rule. Armstrong came to the plate with the bases juiced two more times on the weekend, delivering a sacrifice fly on Saturday and getting hit by a pitch on Sunday to drive in more runs. Armstrong was a key part of the Bears' Opening Weekend sweep of New Mexico, playing stellar defense at first base and leading the club with a 1.629 OPS on the weekend
Kennedy, a Fort Worth, Texas native, turned in a dominant performance over Opening Weekend, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with five extra-base hits, including three home runs — two of them grand slams. He slugged an impressive 1.385 while posting a .625 on-base percentage and an eye-popping 2.010 OPS. Kennedy was also perfect on the base paths, going 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. On Opening Day, after the Wildcats loaded the bases to force Iowa to the bullpen, Kennedy welcomed the reliever by crushing the first pitch he saw — a 106-mph blast to left center — for his first homer of the season. He capped the weekend with a game-leading and career-high seven RBI in the Wildcats’ dominant 24-5 win over Penn State.
Olivier retired 19 batters in a row to help the Cardinals notch an 8-2 win in Game 1 against Oakland University. The Mandeville, Louisiana, native had a perfect game through six innings until it was broken up in the top of the seventh. Olivier went 6.2 innings with 14 strikeouts. He was three strikeouts shy of tying the single game program record. He did not walk a single batter and he allowed just one hit. He struck out every leadoff batter he faced.
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