Gavin Wallace (Fairfield)
NCAA Division I
Gavin Wallace, Fairfield- For the third time this season, Wallace tossed a complete game for the Stags, a shutout in a 1-0 victory over Rider on Saturday. Wallace allowed only five hits in his nine innings, striking out seven hitters without walking a batter. A run in the top of the ninth inning gave Wallace his fourth win of the season, and the shutout lowered his ERA to 1.76 ERA. Only one pitcher in the country has more complete games than the two-year Dutchmen star, who has been the winning pitcher in four of Fairfield's seven wins.
Dylan D'Anna, Siena- D'Anna tossed four stellar innings for the Saints out of the bullpen on Friday, earning a victory in Siena's 5-3 win over NYIT. In his first win of the season, D'Anna, who pitched for the Dutchmen last summer, struck out seven hitters from the seventh to the tenth inning, and allowed only an unearned run on four hits. The sophomore threw 75 pitches in the relief outing, with 47 strikes. D'Anna has the lowest ERA among Siena pitchers with more than ten innings on the mound, and is tied for the team lead with 18 strikeouts.
Ernie Clement, Virginia- The infielder from the 2014 Dutchmen helped Virginia to a 4-1 week, which included an ACC series victory over Duke. Clement hit .385 in the three-game series against the Blue Devils, and hit safely in every game. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the series finale, his third multi-hit game of the week. He also drove in two runs in Virginia's 3-2 win over Towson on Tuesday. Clement is in the top five in the ACC in hits, and has posted a .336 batting average for the nationally ranked Cavaliers.
Dominic DiCaprio, Rice- Rice's offensive leader had another solid week despite a 1-3 showing from the Owls. The catcher hit safely in each of the four games this past week, and had two hits in two of the three games against Florida International. His best game of the week came on Saturday, when he went 2-for-4 with four runs batted in. The RBIs came on a three-run homer, his third of the season, and a run-scoring single. DiCaprio, who caught for the Dutchmen in 2015, leads Rice in nearly every offensive category, including a batting average over 50 points higher than any other Owl on the roster.
Teddy Cillis, Hofstra- In his best start of the season, the two-year player from the 2013 Dutchmen went six innings without allowing an earned run in Hofstra's 2-1 win over College of Charleston on Friday. The six-inning outing, where the redshirt junior struck out eight hitters while scattering six hits, was his longest outing of the season. Cillis was not involved in the game's decision. Cillis also hit safely in each of Hofstra's four games this week, including two RBIs in a win over NYIT on Tuesday and two hits in the series finale on Sunday.
Nate Harris, Louisiana Tech- One of the nation's best closers earned his seventh save of the season in Tech's 12-7 win over Charlotte on Saturday. The 2016 Dutchmen relief pitcher struck out four hitters in 2.2 innings on the mound, and allowed just a walk and a hit to the 49ers. He entered the game in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and one out, and only allowed one inherited runner to score before getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the frame. Harris has earned either a win or a save in nine of his eleven appearances thus far this season.
Troy Montemayor, Baylor- The 2016 PGCBL All-Star made two more scoreless appearances for the Bears this past week, and earned his Big 12 -best sixth save. His most recent save came on Tuesday, when Baylor topped in-state rival Dallas Baptist 8-6. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning in the victory, inducing three flyouts. Montemayor also worked a perfect ninth inning in a Sunday loss to Oklahoma. The two scoreless innings dropped Montemayor's ERA below 1.00 to 0.87, with just one run allowed in 10.1 innings.
JJ Shimko, USC-Upstate- Despite suffering a sweep to Big 10 opponent Rutgers, Shimko proved to be a thorn in the side of the visiting Scarlet Knights. The outfielder went 6-for-9 during the series, scoring three runs and driving in another two. 2016's Dutchmen co-Player of the Year had two hits in each of the three games, and walked four times to account for 10 appearances on base. Shimko has drawn 22 walks, tying him for the best total in the Atlantic Sun Conference. His .468 on base percentage is the second best mark in the conference.
Gabe Kleiman, Penn- A pitcher from the 2016 Dutchmen, Kleiman made the most of his third start of the season. The lefthander worked into the seventh inning in Penn's 3-2 win over Lafayette, part of a four-game sweep for the Quakers. He allowed just two runs on three hits in his 6.2 innings while striking out six Lafayette hitters. Kleiman walked only two hitters in the win, his first triumph of the season.
Zach Durfee, Siena- The freshman helped the Saints to a pair of victories over NYIT this weekend, especially in Siena's 6-0 win on Saturday. Durfee hit .444 on the series, powered by a 3-for-3 performance on Saturday. The outfielder drove in runs on a single and a sacrifice fly, and also added a double to his total. Durfee also stole his first collegiate base in the victory. The late addition to the 2016 Dutchmen has recorded a .333 batting average in his first 14 games, the second best mark on the roster.
NCAA Division II
Justin Childers, Ohio Dominican- Childers continued his stellar hitting with nine hits over six Panther games, which included a four game sweep of Saginaw Valley. Childers hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season during the week, and recorded three games with two or more hits. He drove in two of ODU's three runs in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, and had his third game of three or more hits in a loss to Indianapolis on Wednesday. The 9-for-22 week rose Childers' batting average to .408 on the season.
Mitch Stophel, King U.- Stophel, who wore the Dutchmen uniform in 2015, dominated opposing hitters in two appearances this past week. In 2.1 innings, Stophel recorded five of his seven outs via strikeout. He struck out the side in the seventh inning of King's 13-5 win over Mars Hill, and got the final four outs in a loss to Erskine on Saturday. Stophel has become King's go-to relief pitcher, and has made 11 bullpen appearances on the season.
