East Division Player of the Week
Tommy Nurre, Miami, First Base
Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Nurre led Miami to a 4-1 week, including the RedHawks’ first series sweep since April 27-29, 2007. Miami outscored its opponents 55-24 over the five-game week. Nurre was 11-for-20 for the week (.550) and recorded 10 runs and six RBIs while drilling six extra-base hits (four doubles and two home runs). He recorded an impressive 1.050 slugging percentage. In Miami’s 16-5 win over Dayton, Nurre was an impressive 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs. All four of his hits were for extra bases, recording three doubles and a home run. Nurre then went 3-for-4 in the first game against Eastern Michigan with three runs and two RBIs, collecting a double and a home run against the Eagles. In the second game against EMU, he went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Over Miami’s five games for the week, Nurre recorded four multiple-hit games. He has helped lift Miami to a four-game win streak.
West Division Player of the Week
Jeremy Hazelbaker, Ball State, CF
Junior, Selma, Ind. (Wapahani)
Hazelbaker led the Cardinals to a series split against preseason MAC favorite Kent State has he posted a .750 batting average (six-of-eight) in the two games. Hazelbaker became the first Cardinal since the 2003 season to hit for the cycle as he accomplished the feat Friday afternoon in his first four at-bats of the game. He tallied a first inning double, a third inning home run, a fourth inning single and a fifth inning triple as he reached base five times against the Golden Flashes. He posted a 1.625 slugging percentage in the series as he reached base eight times in the two games and hit two doubles, one triple and one home run. On the week, he posted a .538 batting average (seven-of-13) in the three games.
East Division Co-Pitchers of the Week
Chris Rigo, Ohio, Senior
Westlake, Ohio (St. Ignatius)
Rigo tossed a season-long 8.2 innings in Ohio's series opening win at Western Michigan March 27. His lone run allowed came in the ninth, as he had allowed just two hits and no runs through eight innings of work. Rigo did not allow an extra-base hit in his outing, as WMU managed just four singles, a Bobcat season low for an opponent's hits, and one free pass en route to earning his second-straight win. He also fanned eight Broncos, tying his season high.
Pierre Miville-Deschenes, Buffalo, Junior
Candiac, Quebec
Miville-Deschenes pitched his first career complete game while leading the Bulls to their first MAC victory of the season in a 6-1 victory over Central Michigan. In his 9.0 innings of work, Miville-Deschenes allowed only four hits and one run scored while striking out six Chippewa batters.
West Division Pitcher of the Week
Steve Teno, Central Michigan, Senior
LaSalle, Ont. (Olney Central CC)
Teno tossed eight strong innings against Buffalo, giving up an unearned run on seven hits and three walks while striking out five. The effort gave CMU a 5-2 victory and earned Teno his first MAC win of the season.
Other Nominees
Ryan Frazee, Akron, Third Base
Senior, Gahanna, Ohio (Westerville North)
Frazee leads the Zips with seven home runs on the season, with a career-high mark with his seventh round-tripper against Toledo. The senior is also tied for most runs scored on the Akron squad with 20 on the season.
Brenden Stines, Ball State, Senior
Granger, Ind. (Penn)
Stines became the first pitcher in the MAC this season to defeat preseason conference favorite Kent State. Stines worked 6.0 innings and held the Golden Flashes to just one earned run in six hits. He struck out three batters and retired 12 straight Golden Flashes at one point in the Cardinals’ 4-2 victory.
Ryan Shay, Bowling Green, Shortstop
Senior, Garden City, Mich. (Divine Child)
Shay hit safely in all four games as BG won three of four games. Was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBi against Findlay; 2-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base vs. Cleveland State; was 4-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored in the Friday game vs. NIU and 1-for-4 with a run scored Saturday against NIU. His four hits in the Friday NIU game equalled his career best. He is hittin .375 for the season with 16 RBI and 23 runs scored.
Matt Malewitz, Bowling Green, Sophomore
Grand Rapids, Mich. (E. Grand Rapids H.S./Grand Rapids CC)
Malewitz started and went 7.2 innings in BG's 8-0 win over NIU to earn a split of the two-game series. Malewitz retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced allowing two singles and one double. Only one runner advanced to third against Malwitz who threw 115 pitches. He also owns the other BG shutout this season a complete game one-hitter against Northern Iowa on their spring trip. Sophomore Charles Wooten got the last four outs to maintain the shutout. Malewitz faced only four batters over the minimum for his outing.
Eric Flynn, Buffalo, Left Field
Senior, Niagara Falls, NY (Niagara Falls)
Flynn batted .385 and a slugging percentage of .769 including a three-run home run in the nightcap of the Bulls' doubleheader versus Central Michigan. For the week, Flynn went 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts.
Nate Theunissen, Central Michigan, 1B/DH
R-Freshman, Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Mount Pleasant)
Theunissen continued his tear, going 5-for-14 (.357) with two doubles and a homerun while driving in five. Both of the doubles came in a seven-run eighth that saw the Chippewas erase a 3-0 hole in the rubber match of CMU's series with Buffalo.He got the rally started leading off the frame, and then sealed the win with a two-run knock to cap the rally off. He also hit a three-run dinger in the first inning against Buffalo on Friday.
Kevin Sikora, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Youngstown, Ohio (Boardman)
Sikora had a stellar outing for the Eagles, March 24, in his first start of the year, going six and two-thirds innings, giving up just one run on seven hits, while fanning four Wolverines and picking off a pair of runners to earn his first win of the season.
Jimmy Rider, Kent State, Infield
Freshman, Venetia, Pa. (Peters Township)
Drove in what proved to be the game-winning RBI in the top of the ninth against Ball State (3/27). Rider went 5-for-8 in two games against Ball State this past weekend. In Kent State's 12-3 win against Niagara (3/25), he had a season-high five RBI.
Jon Pokorny, Kent State, Junior
Seven Hills, Ohio (Normandy)
Collected his second save of the year by entering the game in the top of the sixth and struck out the final batter in three pitches to preserve a 9-7 win against Niagara (3/25). He also collected his first win of the year when Kent State rallied for a 10-9 win over Ball State (3/28).
Matt Erwood, Miami, Senior
Atlanta, Ga. (Marist School)
Erwood propelled Miami from the mound to a 15-1 home-opening win against Eastern Michigan. It was Miami’s first series sweep since April 27-29, 2007. Erwood pitched 7.0 innings against the Eagles, giving up just one run off six hits while striking out eight and walking none. He allowed his opponents just a .222 batting average and had a 1.29 ERA for the game. With the win against the Eagles, he picked up his third win of the season.
Chuck Lukanen, Northern Illinois, Junior
Lombard, Ill. (North Iowa Area C.C.)
Lukanen helped NIU get off to its best start ever in MAC play at 4-0 on Friday as he held Bowling Green to three earned runs on 10 hits and a walk with five strikeouts in a season-high 7.1 innings. He compiled an ERA of 3.68 and a WHIP of 1.55 to go 1-0 in his only appearance of the week. He has given up three earned runs or less in five of his six starts this season ... He also leads the Huskie pitching staff with three wins, a 3.47 ERA, 36.1 innings pitched and 22 strikeouts.
Dave Reynolds, Northern Illinois, First Base
Junior, Orland Park, Ill. (Sandburg)
Reynolds hit .556 with five hits, two runs scored, two doubles and two walks along with a .636 on-base percentage and a .778 slugging percentage. In the first game of a doubleheader with Bradley, he went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles for his 10th multi-hit game of the season. In NIU's 6-4 win over Bowling Green on Friday, he went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk to give him five runs in five MAC games so far. On Saturday against Bowling Green, he went 1-for-3 with a walk to extend his career-long hitting streak to 19 games.
Marc Krauss, Ohio, 3B
Junior, Deshler, Ohio (Patrick Henry)
Krauss tallied at least a run and a hit in three of Ohio's four games this week, starting them all and helping lead the Bobcats to an undefeated week. He had four extra-base hits on the week, including his team-leading eighth homer of the season March 28 at WMU, for a .647 slugging percentage. Krauss totaled 11 bases and earned a walk, which helped him to a .333 on-base percentage. In the series finale at WMU, he went 3-for-5 with two doubles, moving him into sole possession of sixth place on Ohio's all-time list, and his homer, while recording his ninth multi-RBI game of the year.
Josh Colliver, Toledo, First Baseman/Designated Hitter
Senior, Cincinnati, Ohio (Lakota West)
Colliver reappeared in the lineup this weekend at Akron after missing the previous 10 contests with a leg injury. The co-captain did not miss a beat and hit a blistering .538 (7-for-13) with two runs scored and five RBI, helping the Rockets win two of three games. In Friday's series opener, Colliver finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, including a pair of doubles. The following afternoon he went 1-for-4 with a RBI. The four-year letterwinner then closed out the weekend, going 2-for-4 with run-scoring hit.
