DALLAS – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 22, today. Louisiana-Monroe senior outfielder Dexter Fontenot was named National Hitter of the Week, while Duke’s sophomore left-hander Chris Manno 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.
ULM senior outfielder Dexter Fontenot put together a week to remember, hitting .650 (13-for-20) with four home runs, two doubles, 15 RBI, nine runs scored, a 1.350 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage – 2.017 OPS — leading the Warhawks to a perfect 5-0 record.
He opened the week going 5-for-8 with four RBI and a homer in a pair of midweek games against Centenary and McNeese State. Fontenot really turned it up over the weekend against Middle Tennessee, who entered the weekend winners of seven straight. He went 8-for-12 with three home runs and 11 RBI in the series. He hit two home runs in a game for the second Saturday in a row in ULM’s 25-10 blowout of MTSU after doing the same at Louisiana-Lafayette the previous week.
Manno, the first Blue Devil to be tabbed ACC Pitcher of the Week this season, started two games for Duke last week, tossing 7.2 innings and striking out 16. The sophomore southpaw made his first weekend start of the season against Clemson, striking out a career-high 12 batters through 5.2 scoreless innings in Saturday’s 10-1 win.
The product of Brooklyn, N.Y., also started for the Blue Devils in the second game of a doubleheader versus North Carolina Central earlier in the week. He struck out four batters in 2.0 innings pitched before sitting out, as it had been predetermined to utilize him for Saturday against Clemson. Manno improves to 4-0 on the season and leads the ACC averaging 14.22 strikeouts per game.
With this week’s honor, Manno automatically is named to the watch list for Roger Clemens Award, given to the national collegiate pitcher of the year, sponsored by the Greater Houston Baseball Organization.
Fort Worth-based Pro-Line Athletic supplies the official cap to more than 100 Division I college teams and official uniforms and team wear to six Division 1 college teams. This is the fourth year Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA’s Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line, visit their Web site at: www.prolineathletic.com.
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.
