MAC East Division Baseball Co-Player of the Week
Jensen Painter, Ohio
Right Field, Senior, Willshire, Ohio (Parkway)
Senior right fielder Jensen Painter led the Bobcats to a 3-1 record this past week as Ohio posted wins against West Virginia State and Oakland. In four games last week, Painter batted .538, going 7-for-13 with two home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored. Painter opened the week by going 4-for-4 with five RBI and a home run against West Virginia State. He then closed out the week by going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
Tom Murphy, Buffalo
Junior, Catcher, West Monroe, NY (Central Square)
Murphy was a run-producing machine for Buffalo (4-6, 0-0 MAC) in its three games during the week, batting .400 (6-15) and did not hit any singles. Instead, the junior catcher had two doubles, a triple and three home runs, driving in 12 runs over the team's trio of games. Murphy hit a solo home run and added a walk and stolen base Wednesday against Canisius. He then added a three-run home run in the team's 8-1 win over Coppin State on Saturday. Tom would save his best for last, though, forgoing a possibly cycle to hit two doubles, a triple and a two-run home run while driving in eight runs to lead the team to a 27-13 win over Long Island-Brooklyn. The eight RBI now stand as the program's modern-day record. Murphy, named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list, has 16 RBI and a .786 slugging percentage through the first ten games of the season.
MAC East Division Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Shawn Marquardt, Miami
Sr., LHP, Carmel, Ind.
Pitched Miami’s final game in Florida, a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh… tossed all nine innings. Limited the Panthers to just four hits and a single run. Struck out six, while not allowing a walk. Pitt had only one runner reach third all day and that was on a leadoff triple in the seventh (scored on a sac fly). Piit had two runners on at the same time only once. Lowered his season ERA to 2.28 with a 2-1 record… has thrown at least 7.0 inning in each of his last three starts (two complete games).
MAC West Division Baseball Player of the Week
Patrick Duncan, Western Michigan
Jr., SS
Duncan batted .500 (8-for-16) over four games this past week, helping WMU split four games at the Russ Matt Invitational ... he drove in seven runs, hit two doubles and scored six times ... he walked once, was hit by a pitch and struck out just once in 16 at bats ... Duncan had a .625 slugging percentage and a .570 on-base percentage ... in the field at shortstop, he committed just one error ... he recorded a hit in all four games ... Duncan saw his season batting average raise from .189 to .283.
MAC West Division Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Casey Webber, Western Michigan
LHP, Sr.
Webber threw his second career complete game, leading Western Michigan to an 11-4 win over Penn ... Webber (2-1) scattered seven hits, struck out six (season high) and did not allow a walk in the nine-inning effort ... all four runs against were unearned ... he also had a pick off at first in the fourth inning ... he tossed 118 pitches, 79 for strikes ... behind Webber's stellar effort, WMU was able to battle back from a 4-0 deficit after the Quakers used a two-out throwing error to plate four unearned runs in the bottom of the third ... Penn did not score again in the game ... Webber did not allow a runner in scoring position again until the bottom of the ninth ... Webber dropped his season ERA from 6.92 to 4.09.
Other Nominees
Samuel Trecaso, Akron
1B, Jr., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (St. Vincent-St. Mary HS)
Trecaso extended his hitting streak to seven games, by collecting two hits in each of Akron's first three games of its spring break. The junior first baseman led Akron to a 2-1 record over the weekend, batting .400 and totaling four RBIs. Trecaso went 2-for-5 and drove in one in the Zips 4-0 win over Xavier on Friday. He then went 2-for-6 and plated three in the UA rout of Pittsburgh on Saturday. Trecaso closed the weekend with a 2-for-4 day in Sunday's loss to Port Charlotte. Trecaso has had recorded multi-hit games in six of the seven games on his current hitting streak.
Andrew Brown, Akron
RHP, Sr., Painesville, Ohio (Riverside)
Brown shut down Xavier on Friday, scattering six hits over seven shutout innings as Akron would take a 4-0 win. The senior righty struck out six and did not walk a batter. The performance saw Brown strikeout his 200th career batter and pick up his first win of the season. Brown now also stands second on the Akron career innings pitched list (282.0).
Cal Bowling, Ball State
Sr., RHP, Muncie, Ind. (Yorktown)
Senior right-hander Cal Bowling continued his impressive start to the 2012 campaign as he tossed 7.1 innings and limited Middle Tennessee to just three runs on five hits while striking out six batters for his second straight win ... Bowling did not allow a runner to reach base until the fourth inning, working 3.2 innings of no-hit baseball … In four starts this season, he has tossed 31.0 innings while posting a 2.61 ERA … The Cardinals, who are 3-9 this season, have won three out of his four starts this year with his only loss coming despite working into the ninth inning with the lead at UAB.
T.J. Losby, Bowling Green
Sophomore, C/1B, Bryan, Ohio (Bryan)
Losby had five hits on the week, with four RBI and one run scored. He knocked in both Falcon RBIs in a loss to Penn, and also had two RBIs against Yale.
Andrew Lacinak, Bowling Green
Freshman, LHP, Reading, Ohio (Reading)
Lacinak got two starts on the week in the Russ Matt Invitational, including the start against Big East foe Georgetown. Although Lacinak received a no decision against the Hoyas, he went five innings, allowing just four hits and one run. He also struck out five. Lacinak went 8.1 innings on the week with five earned runs and ten hits allowed. He also struck out seven.
Cameron Copping, Buffalo
Senior, Pitcher, Temple City, CA (Pasadena CC)
Copping struck out nine batters in six innings while allowing one lone run and two hits, leading the team to an 8-1 victory on Saturday over Coppin State. The second-year pitcher from Temple City, CA was literally unhittable through the first five innings, scattering only three walks and stranding three base runners while allowing zero hits in the first five innings of work. Along the way, he set the Eagles down in order three times. His only trouble would come in his sixth and final inning, when he allowed two hits - a double and a single - that would plate Coppin State's lone run of the afternoon. With his outstanding effort, Copping shed almost six whole runs off his season earned run average.
Jordan Dean, Central Michigan
SS, Junior, Midland, Mich. (Bullock Creek)
Dean continued his tear at the plate over the weekend, helping CMU earn a series split at Hawaii. Dean finished the weekend batting .375 (6-for-16) with a triple and three RBI, while stealing two bases. The junior recorded multi-hit games in each of the Chippewas win and they are now 6-1 in contests when he does so. Dean also flashed some leather over the weekend with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 13 chances at shortstop. He now has seven multi-hit games in the first 15 contests of the season and leads the team in runs, hits, stolen bases, triples and at bats.
Ryan Longstreth, Central Michigan
LHP, Senior, Beaverton, Mich. (Kellogg CC/Beaverton)
Longstreth earned his second win of the season Saturday at Hawaii, once again coming up huge for the Chippewas on the road. Longstreth shut down the Rainbows' offense, giving up just one run on five hits over six innings of work. The win marks Longstreth's second of the season versus a team ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes as he also defeated Stetson, who was ranked #23 at the time, two weeks prior.
David Starn, Kent State
Sr., LHP, Hudson, Ohio (Walsh Jesuit)
Starn evened his season record at 2-2 and improved to 20-8 in his collegiate career, fanning five while surrendering two earned runs on two hits, four walks and two hit batsmen in six innings as Kent State took down New Mexico State, 7-4, in the weekend series opener last Friday (March 9) in Las Cruces, N.M. The 2012 Louisville Third Team Pre-Season All-America selection increased his career strikeout total to 246 and is now 29 strikeouts away from passing Dirk Hayhurst (274; 2000-03) in the school's record book. He passed Lou Bocci (247.2; 1952-56) for sixth place in career innings pitched, upping his total to 248.
Nick Hamilton, Kent State
R-Jr., 3B, Avon Lake, Ohio (Avon Lake (Xavier)
Hamilton led the Golden Flashes (7-6) with at the plate for a second straight weekend, batting .500 with a team-high eight hits. He drove in three runs. Kent State splits its weekend series at New Mexico State, 2-2, posting a 7-4 series-opening victory Friday (March 9) and following it up with a 10-9 triumph Saturday (March 10).
John Crummy, Miami
So., C, Butler, Pa.
Helped Miami to a 3-2 record in Florida…Played in four of the five games (sat out the finale of the trip vs. Pittsburgh)… started at catcher three times and DH once… batted .615 with eight hits in 13 at-bats… had a double to increase his slugging percentage to .692… counting two walks and a hit-by-pitch, he had a .647 on-base percentage… also had a sacrifice and sacrifice fly during the week… registered multiple hits in three games … tied his career/season high with three against both Villanova and Seton Hall… had a pair vs. Sacred Heart… drove in at least one run in every game, reaching a career-best three vs. Sacred Heart... threw out one of the five runners attempting to steal… fielded at .967 (one error in 30 chances).
Jeff Zimmerman, Northern Illinois
So., 1B, Tinley Park, Ill. (Victor J Andrew)
Zimmerman had a big weekend for the Huskies, cranking a home run against Arkansas State and two more Sunday versus Dayton. Northern Illinois finished the weekend 2-1 over the weekend with its only loss in a slug fest against Dayton, 13-9. Outside of his three home runs, Zimmerman's other hit was a double. He also added two stolen bases to his weekend wrap sheet.
Tony Manville, Northern Illinois
Sr., New Lenox, Ill (Mount Carmel)
Manville grinded out his first win of the season for Northern Illinois against Arkansas State. Manville struckout three, allowed 10 hits but only walked one batter to lead the Huskies to a 6-5 victory over the Red Wolves. The win was his 10th of his NIU career, after posting nine last season.
Brent Choban Ohio,
LHP, Senior , Rittman, Ohio (Rittman)
Choban went 1-0 in his lone appearance on the week at home against Oakland as he worked 6.2 innings, struck out three and allowed just two earned runs.