FROM NCBWA RELEASE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 2, today. Wichita State junior designated Hitter Preston Springer was named National Hitter of the Week, while Oregon senior right-handed pitcher Justin LaTempa 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.
Springer led the Shockers to a 4-1 week, including a road series win at first-place Illinois State and midweek wins over Kansas and Oklahoma State. In the five games, the Denton, Texas native went 13-for-23 (.565) with nine runs, five doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI. Against KU on Tuesday, he went 3-for-4 with three runs, five RBI, a home run and a hit by pitch. On Wednesday against OSU, he went 3-for-6 with two runs, five RBI, a double and his first career grand slam.
In the opening game at Illinois State, he went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, two doubles and a home run. In game two, he went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles and in the third game he went 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. He finished the week with multiple hits in all five games and an RBI in four of the five games. This week’s honor marked his second MVC Player of the Week accolade this season.
LaTempa was nearly untouchable Saturday night, tossing a complete game one-hit shutout as the No. 15 Ducks defeated Washington State, 6-0. In his first complete game in his collegiate career, the Huntington Beach, Calif., native recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts. The senior right-hander had his no-hitter broken up in the eighth inning when WSU’s Matt Argyroppilos led off the inning with a shallow double to right field. LaTempa became the first Oregon pitcher since reinstatement to throw a complete game shutout. In addition, it was the first time Oregon has shutout a Pac-10 opponent since a 3-0 victory at Washington on May 8, 1976.
Pro-Line Athletic, owned by Badger Sport, supplies caps and uniforms to several D-1 college baseball teams and this is the sixth season 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 and Badger, visit their web sites at: www.badgersport.com and www.prolinecap.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.
For more information, contact NCBWA Executive Assistant Director Mike Montoro (304-293-2821, mike.montoro@mail.wvu.edu).
2010 WINNERS:
Pro-Line Athletic Hitter of the Week – Feb. 23 – Zack MacPhee, 2B, Arizona State; March 2 – Brian Fletcher, OF, Auburn; March 9 – Mark Micowski, Georgia State; March 16 – Pat Biserta, Rutgers; March 23 – Hunter Morris, INF, Auburn; March 30 – Mark Castellitto, OF, Gonzaga; April 6 – Austin Wates, UT, Virginia Tech; April 13 – Steve McQuail, INF, Canisius; April 20 – Drew Lee, SS, Morehead State; April 27 – Jake Magner, 1B, North Dakota; May 4 – Preston Springer, DH, Wichita State.
Pro-Line Athletic Pitcher of the Week – Feb. 23 – Matt Bywater, LHP, Pepperdine; March 2 – Jason Mitchell, RHP, UT – Arlington; March 9 – Michael Goodnight, RHP, Houston; March 16 – Billy Barber, RHP, Richmond; March 23 – Teddy Kaufman, LHP, USF; March 30 – Randy Fontanez, RHP, USF; April 6 – Andrew Barbosa, LHP, USF; April 13 – Greg Gonzalez, RHP, Fresno State; April 20 – Cole Green, RHP, Texas; April 27 – Kendall Lewis, RHP, Eastern Michigan; May 4 – Justin LaTempa, RHP, Oregon.
