MAC Announces Baseball Players & Pitchers of the Week

MAC Baseball West Division Player of the Week
Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State, 2B
Junior, Bryan, Ohio (Bryan)
Vitek continued his strong start to the season as he posted a .389 batting average and a .944 slugging percentage in the Cardinals' four-game series at UAB. Vitek tallied three home runs on the weekend while scoring a team-high six runs and driving in four. On the season, he is batting .438 through seven games and owns an .844 slugging percentage.

MAC Baseball East Division Player of the Week
Kyle Hallett, Akron, Designated Hitter
Senior, Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg)
Hallett had a monster weekend for the Zips against New Mexico State, clubbing a team-high nine hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run en route to a .600 batting and .933 slugging percentage. The senior designated hitter also drove in a team-high eight RBIs while scoring four himself also earned a pair of walks over the weekend. Hallett opened the series going 3-for-6 with four RBIs and two runs scored in Akronâ€^TMs 13-11 win over New Mexico State and would also log a 3-for-4 day at the plate to go along with four RBIs in game three against the Aggies.

MAC Baseball West Division Pitcher of the Week
Corey Chaffins, Eastern Michigan, Junior
New London, Ohio (New London)
In his first start of the season against the No. 25 ranked Kansas Jayhawks, Feb. 22, junior pitcher Corey Chaffins went seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out 8 Jayhawks, to lead the Eagles to a 3-1 win. Chaffins earned a no-decision in his start against South Alabama, Feb. 28, as he went seven innings and allowed just four earned runs and struck out three.

MAC Baseball East Division Pitcher of the Week
Alex Loftin, Akron, Sophomore
Stow, Ohio (Stow)
Loftin was exceptional on the mound for Akron in a 13-11 victory over New Mexico State in the series opener. Loftin went seven innings and allowed just three runs on eight scattered hits to earn his first victory this season. The sophomore also struck out four batters before giving way to the UA bullpen.

 

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Other Nominees
Jacob Rosenbeck, Buffalo, Third Base
Senior, Medina, N.Y. (Medina)
Rosenbeck led the Bulls with a .444 batting average in the Bulls' season opening series versus Charlotte including a pair of doubles and RBIs. In the season opener, Rosenbeck went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored.

Billy Anderson, Central Michigan, OF
Senior, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. (Sault Area )
Anderson was a terror on the basepaths last week, hitting .417 with two doubles and five stolen bases. He scored three runs and drove in one. He swiped two bags on opening day against Cal and followed it up with a three-steal effort against Bakersfield.

Jake Sabol, Central Michigan, Junior
Shelby Twp., Mich. (De La Salle)
Sabol tossed a complete-game eight hitter against the Gaels of St. Mary's, giving up eight hits and a run while striking out four. It is his first career complete game.

Ken Battiston, Eastern Michigan, Outfield
Junior, West Milton, Ohio (Milton Union)
Battiston started his 2010 season off on a impressive note after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI in EMU's 3-1 win over No. 25 Kansas, Feb. 22. In six games this past week, Battiston hit .423 (11-for-26) with one home run and two doubles to go along with six runs scored and four RBI. Battiston hit his first career homer against No. 27 Wichita State, Feb. 27.

David Lyon, Kent State, Catcher
Sophomore, Emporium, Pa. (Cameron County)
Lyon had one of his best games of his career Friday night in Kent State's come-from-behind win at Wake Forest 7-6. With the score tied at six in the top of the ninth, Lyon hit a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall to score the winning run. He also added a sacrifice fly in the third and an RBI double in the seventh which gave KSU a brief 6-5 lead. In Kent State's 11-5 win over Wake Forest on Sunday, Lyon went 4-for-5 and reached base every time, including scoring three runs. He ended the game with four-straight hits in four consecutive innings (singles in the fourth, fifth and seventh with a double in the sixth).

Ryan Mace, Kent State, Sophomore
Tallmadge, Ohio (Tallmadge)
While he did not receive a decision this weekend, sophomore Ryan Mace threw a huge scoreless 4.2 innings coming out of the bullpen in Kent State's 11-5 win over Wake Forest in the first day of a double header Saturday (Feb. 27). With Wake Forest clinging to a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth with a runner on second with one out, Mace entered the game and ended the Demon Deacons threat with a pair of ground outs in only five pitches. He retired Wake Forest in order in the seventh and eighth to allow the KSU offense to go to work and tie the game in the top of the ninth. Mace retired the Demon Deacons in order in the ninth and 10th to keep the game tied. In his performance, he allowed no hits or walks and threw only 44 pitches (10.5 per inning), 32 which were strikes. In facing 14 Wake Forest batters, only one saw three balls in his at-bat.

Adam Eaton, Miami, Outfield
Junior, Springfield, Ohio (Kenton Ridge)
Eaton had another strong week for Miami in three starts in the outfield, as he went 3-for-10 with a triple and a home run, while notching four RBI and scoring five runs. He totaled eight bases and had an on-base percentage of .500 for the weekend. He also was a perfect 2-for-2 on stolen bases, making him 5-for-5 on the year. Eaton made 13 putouts without an error, as well. He played a big role in Miami's 7-5 extra-inning win Saturday at Louisiana-Lafayette, collecting all three of his hits, including a three-run homer, while scoring four runs, including the tying run in the ninth and the go-ahead run in the 11th.

Jordan Jankowski, Miami, Sophomore
McMurray, Pa. (Peters Township)
Jankowski picked up his first win of the season in Miami's 7-5 11-inning victory in the series opener at Louisiana-Lafayette Feb. 27, handing ULL its first loss. He came out of the bullpen to toss the final three innings of the game without conceding a hit while striking out five Ragin' Cajuns in 11 batters faced. He shut down ULL in the bottom of the ninth and then allowed just one walk in the two extra innings to secure Miami's win. He also was forced to bat in the top of the 11th and had the game-winning, two-RBI single for the RedHawks, helping Miami win at the plate and on the mound.

Joe Etcheverry, Northern Illinois, Designated Hitter
Junior Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial)
Etcheverry led the Huskies in their three-game series against Austin Peay as he hit .500 (5-for-10) with five walks, four RBI, two runs, a double, a homer, a .900 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. On Friday, he went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. On Saturday, he went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. On Sunday, he went 3-for-4 with a career-high tying four RBI, two walks, a run and hit a clutch game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning.

Zach Oates, Northern Illinois, Junior
Wheaton, Ill. (North)
Despite taking a loss, Zach Oates led the Huskie pitching staff in NIU's three-game weekend series against Austin Peay by putting together a career-best performance in Game Two by throwing a career-long seven innings allowing one earned run on four hits and a walk with a career-high tying five strikeouts for an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.71 in his second-ever start.

Seth Streich, Ohio, Infielder
Freshman, Ridgeway, Pa. (Johnsonburg Area)
Streich led the Bobcats with a .500 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage, a .538 on-base percentage, two doubles, two triples and five runs scored. He also tossed one inning on the mound Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits.

Jason Moulton, Ohio, Junior
Toledo, Ohio (Roy C. Start)
Moulton got the start for the Bobcats on Saturday and hurled five innings without an earned run, to go with five hits six strikeouts and one walk. Only one of those hits was an extra base knock and opponents managed just a .238 batting average against him.