Hatfield and Lasiewicz Earn Baseball Player of the Week Honors
MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Trace Hatfield, Toledo
3B, Fr, Fredericktown, Ohio (Fredericktown)
Freshman Trace Hatfield led the Rockets in nearly every offensive category last week. He hit .471 (8-for-17), drove in four runs, and slugged .765 over Toledo's four games, leading the team in each statistical metric. He was especially productive during UT's weekend series against Eastern Michigan. Hatfield hit his first career home run in the bottom of the seventh on Friday to tie the game at 2-2, a contest Toledo would eventually win in the bottom of the ninth. The freshman was moved up to the second spot in the batting order on Saturday and proceeded to reach base in all five plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with a walk. On Sunday, Hatfield drove in a run in Toledo's comeback victory over the Eagles and made a spectacular diving catch to set up at double play to get the Rockets out of trouble in the seventh. Hatfield has been a key part of this Toledo team as a freshman, starting 30 games at four different positions.
MAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Michael Lasiewicz, Northern Illinois
Pitcher, Freshman, McHenry, Ill. (McHenry)
Lasiewicz tossed the first complete game of his young career as he led the Northern Illinois University baseball team to a 2-1 win over the University of Miami (OH) RedHawks Saturday. Lasiewicz recorded the first complete game by a Huskie pitcher since the 2016 season, and struck out a career-high and team-best 11 batters. He yielded only two extra base hits and carried a .167 opponents' batting average. Lasiewicz leads the team with 57 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched, and has a team-best five victories.
Other Player Nominees
Griffin Hulecki, Ball State
DH/C/OF, R-Jr., Fishers, Ind. (Fishers HS)
Hulecki had multiple hits in three of the four games this week and is riding a seven-game hitting streak. He also led the team in batting average (.421), hits (8), total bases (11) and slugging (.579) this week
Michael Klein, Ohio
Designated Hitter, Redshirt Senior, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista)
Redshirt senior designated hitter Michael Klein (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) helped the Ohio baseball team (19-20, 7-8 MAC) take the Mid-American Conference series from rival Kent State on the road last weekend at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium. Klein came through with a two-out, two-RBI double in the top of the 12th inning to push the Bobcats to a big 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the Golden Flashes on Saturday (April 21) to even the weekend series. Over five games total last week, he posted a team-best .579 slugging percentage, collected a team-high 11 total bases, drove in eight runs and finished third on the team with five hits -- including a double, a triple and a home run. Klein smashed his fourth home run of the 2018 season last Wednesday (April 18) against Marshall, hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the first.
Nick Kanavas, Kent State
RF, Senior, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Kanavas hit over .500 in four games for the Golden Flashes as they swept the season series from Pittsburgh, 4-1 and 2-0. Kanavas collected eight hits in his 15 at-bats and also walked three times. He swiped three bases to bring his season stolen base total to 16 while also playing errorless defense.
Kam Smith, Northern Illinois
Designated Hitter, R-Freshman, Colonial Beach, Va. (The Steward School)
Smith carried a .444 batting average through four games in leading the Northern Illinois University baseball team to a 2-2 record last week. In a 5-2 win over the University of Miami (OH) Saturday, Smith was nearly perfect at the plate as he went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. He also didn't strikeout in seven at-bats against the RedHawks and had a team-best .571 batting average with an RBI.
Jesse Forestell, Western Michigan
Catcher, Junior, Chicago, Ill. (Homewood Flossmoor)
Over the week Forestell was one of five Broncos to hit over .300 as the junior catcher played and started in all four games. Forestell registered a team-high five RBIs in the four games while having a stellar .563 slugging percentage and .353 on-base percentage. Forestell also recorded two doubles over the week and registered his first career triple. In midweek action against Michigan State, Forestell went 1-for-3 with one run scored along with drawing a walk. In the Broncos' weekend series vs. CMU, Forestell went 4-for-13 with five RBIs and one run scored to help secure the second straight MAC weekend series victory for WMU. On Friday, Forestell led the Bronco offense going 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored and two RBIs. On Friday, Forestell also recorded his first career triple. In Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Chippewas, Forestell went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Forestell has now six multi-hit games this season and four multi-RBI games.
Other Pitcher Nominees
Nolan Gazouski, Ball State
RHP (Reliever), So, Rockford, Ill. (Rockford Christian HS) Nolan appeared in three of the four games in relief; only allowed one hit in 6.1 IP--kept No. 8 Indiana off the scoreboard in the eighth and ninth innings to help force extra innings on April 18--retired all seven batters he faced to wrap up the 9-3 win over BGSU on April 21--gave up the game-tying hit in the bottom of the ninth on April 22 at BGSU, but then retired the side in order in the 10th to earn the win.
Kenny Ogg, Ohio
Right-Handed Pitcher, Junior, Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence Central)
Junior right-handed pitcher Kenny Ogg (Indianapolis, Ind.) helped the Ohio baseball team (19-20, 7-8 MAC) take its Mid-American Conference series from rival Kent State on the road last weekend at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium. In the Sunday (April 22) rubber match, Ogg struck out three over five innings of relief while allowing just three hits and two walks as the Bobcats erased a deficit going into the seventh inning for the second game in a row to earn a 6-4 series-clinching victory over the Golden Flashes. He picked up his first win on the mound of the season.
Joey Murray, Kent State
RHP, R-JR, Dublin, Ohio - Coffman
Murray was fantastic again for the victorious Golden Flashes who won their eighth straight game. Murray - a week after striking out 15 Huskies - struck out 14 Bobcats over eight and a third innings. He has struck out 13 or more in four of his last five starts and leads the KSU staff with six wins. Over his last two starts, Murray has 29 strikeouts and two walks.
Andrew Reisinger, Western Michigan
RHP, Redshirt Senior, McHenry, Ill. (McHenry HS)
On the week, Reisinger recorded an overall record of 1-0 and captured one save as the Broncos went 2-2 with a second straight MAC series victory over Central Michigan. On the weekend vs. CMU, Reisinger pitched five innings, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out three. In Friday's contest against CMU, Reisinger came in relief and pitched 3.0 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three to earn his 7th victory of the season and improved his overall record to 7-0. On Sunday, Reisinger pitched the eighth and ninth innings, allowing no runs on four hits to earn his second save of the season in a 5-2 victory. With seven wins, Reisinger ranks 13th in the NCAA in wins and ranks 17th in the nation in appearances.
Michael Brettell, Central Michigan
RHP, Junior, Fonthill, Ont. (Crossley Secondary School)
Brettell allowed one run on five hits, walked four and struck out three over seven innings in a game the Chippewas would eventually win, 4-2.
Gus Graham, Miami
RHP, Senior, Gallipolis, Ohio (Gallia Academy)
Senior Gus Graham turned in a solid outing on Sunday as he got the start on the mound for the RedHawks in their series finale at Northern Illinois. He went the distance for his first career complete game. Graham allowed five hits and just one run while striking out seven Huskies. The victory moved his record to 3-0 on the season.
