Jeff Rivera (Cumberlands)
NCAA Division I-
Kyle Zurak, Radford- Radford's conference series win over UNC-Asheville was aided by Zurak on Sunday morning, when the 2014 PGCBL All-Star earned his sixth save of the season. Zurak's save was a hitless three-inning outing, where he struck out six of the eleven batters he faced. The only blemishes on his record were a pair of walks, and the save lowered his team-best ERA to 2.17. In the same game, 2014 Dutchmen teammate Danny Hrbek struck out seven over four innings.
Dominic DiCaprio, Rice- DiCaprio led Rice to a crucial sweep of Charlotte this weekend. The catcher from the 2015 roster hit safely in all four Rice victories this week. He capped his week with a 3-for-5 performance in Sunday's finale, which moved Rice to 8-1 in their last nine Conference-USA games. DiCaprio drove in two runs on a two-run double in the eighth inning, where the Owls turned a 8-3 deficit into a 10-8 lead. In his sophomore season, DiCaprio is hitting .368 with 37 runs batted in and a .448 on base percentage.
Jack Gethings, Fairfield- Entering the final two weekends of the regular season, Fairfield holds a two-game lead for the MAAC title. A major part of the Stags' success has been the infielder from the 2016 Dutchmen. Gethings recorded six hits and six runs scored over the four games, which included a three-game sweep over Monmouth. Gethings has started every game this season for the Stags, and leads the roster with a .337 batting average and 38 runs scored.
Tommy Miller, Siena- The incoming pitcher was the winner in one of Siena's two victories over Saint Peter's on Sunday. Miller, who received plenty of run support in a 17-2 win, allowed just two runs over seven strong innings of work. He scattered seven hits, and surrendered only one walk. It was Miller's fifth win of the season, which made him the first Saint to hit the five-win plateau. Miller also leads the Saint roster in innings pitched (66) and starts (12), and has a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
Tyler Nelin, George Mason- Nelin was a bright spot for the Patriots this weekend, securing five hits over four games. He hit safely in all three games during a weekend series with George Washington, driving in two runs and scoring another two.The utilityman that wore the Dutchmen uniform in 2015 leads George Mason in many offensive categories, including batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, and total bases.
Teddy Cillis, Hofstra- Despite a loss to Elon, Cillis set a school record by striking out 16 hitters on Friday afternoon. Cillis, who played for the Dutchmen in 2013, allowed three earned runs over seven innings of work, and only recorded five outs on something other than a strikeout. His efforts, which came over 148 pitches, shattered the previous school record of 13, and was also part of a combined school record for strikeouts in a game (18). The performance set the two-way player's season total at 76, the highest mark on the roster.
NCAA Division II-
Justin Childers, Ohio Dominican- In a week where Ohio Dominican scored 39 runs in five games despite going 1-4, it was the reigning Dutchmen co-Player of the Year leading the charge. Childers, who is on a 14-game hitting streak, went 10-for-16 with 12 runs batted in and three home runs. He also scored eight runs, including four in the finale against Tiffin, where he reached base in all six of his plate appearance. The power showing moved Childers to 14 home runs on the season, and upped his RBI total to an even 60.
Ryan Steffens, No. 21 Southern New Hampshire- As part of a regular-season ending sweep, Steffens tossed a scoreless inning in a 17-3 victory over Merrimack. The seventh inning saw the returning Albany pitcher strike out two hitters, and surrender just a walk. SNHU, who won the NE-10's regular season championship, begins conference tournament play on Tuesday againsy Bentley. The Penmen enter the postseason as winners of 14 consecutive games.
NAIA-
Jeff Rivera, No. 25 Cumberlands- The Cumberlands Patriots punched their ticket to the NAIA National Tournament on Sunday night, winning the Mid-South Conference Tournament. Rivera's contribution to the championship came in the second game of the tournament, when he pitched the final two innings in a 6-1 win over Campbellsville. The 2016 Dutchmen reliever allowed just one hit, and recorded five of his six outs via strikeout. Cumberlands now awaits their assignment in the 40-team NAIA Tournament.
Junior College-
Anthony Forte, No. 3 LSU-Eunice- A member of the 2016 Dutchmen, Forte wrapped up the regular season with a huge week for the 45-9 Bengals. In a three-game sweep of Ranger College, Forte went 6-for-7 with 11 runs batted in. He drove in six runs in the first game of the series with a three-run double, a two-run home run, and a sacrifice fly. He then added two more home runs and a double in the series finale, where he went 3-for-3 with five RBIs. The powerful week jumped Forte's season home run total to six before the Bengals begin regional play later this month.
