MAC Announces Baseball Player & Pitcher of the Week
MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Chris Meyers, Toledo, SS
Sophomore, Miamisburg, Ohio (Miamisburg)
Led the Rockets by slashing .538/.625/.769 during opening weekend...7-for-13 in the series against Winthrop, scoring three runs and driving in four runs...Had a career-high four hits, including a two-run home run, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader...His HBP in game two of the doubleheader brought in the go-ahead run and helped clinch Toledo's 8-7 win.
MAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Drey Jameson, Ball State, Pitcher
Sophomore, Greenfield, Ind.
Jameson pitched the season opener for BSU against Stanford (#12 in D1Baseball, #5 Collegiate News), no decision. No decision after 6 innings of no-hit ball ... only run allowed was unearned. Came out of the game when it was 1-1 ... pitch-for-pitch with Stanford ace Brendan Beck (8-0 in 2018).
Other Nominees
Noah Navarro, Ball State, 2B
R-Fr. Avon, Ind.
Navarro started at 2B after missing most of 2018 with an injury. Led team in average (.412), runs (5), OBP (.444), hits (7) Saturday: 3-for-4 vs. Grand Canyon, 2-for-5 vs. CS Bakersfield. Sunday: 1-for-4, 2 runs and walk.
Zach Kohn, Central Michigan, RHP
Junior, Woodhaven, Mich (O.A. Carlson)
Central Michigan junior right hander Zach Kohn tossed six shutout innings in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Troy to help propel the Chippewas to a split in their season-opening four game set. The Woodhaven, Mich., native pounded the strike zone all afternoon allowing just three hits and two walks while posting four punch outs in his first win of the 2019 campaign.
Zach Gilles, Central Michigan, OF
Junior, Chippewas Falls, Wisc (McDonell Central)
Central Michigan junior outfielder Zach Gilles got off to fast to the 2019 season this weekend batting .500 with 7 hits and 2 RBI in the Chippewas four-game split at Troy. On Friday's opener, the Chippewas Falls, Wis., native went 4-for-4 at the dish with a double and a stolen base to pace CMU on the base paths. Gilles collected a hit and an RBI in CMU's 5-3 win on Saturday's double-header night cap as well as Sunday's 5-2 victory in the finale.
Jackson Shaver, Eastern Michigan, P
Senior, Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern
Senior Jackson Shaver had a strong first start of the year in Friday’s season-opener against NJIT. Despite taking a no decision, he went the first four innings, allowing no runs, and just three hits. With a high pitch count of 83, he was lifted prior to the fifth inning. Shaver faced 19 batters, recording eight flyouts, a ground out and a trio of strikeouts. Overall, he was one of two EMU pitchers used that did not to allow a run to the Highlanders.
Zachary Owings, Eastern Michigan, 3B
Junior, Saline, Mich. / Saline
Owings picked up where he left the 2018 campaign, leading the EMU offense in a four-game set against NJIT in Hoover, Ala. The Saline, Mich. product paced the Eagles with a .444 batting average (8-for-18) with four runs scored and six RBIs. His 16 total bases (five singles, a triple and two home runs) were a team-best, while he also tied for the team-lead with four steals. Owings has three multi-hit contests and two multi-RBI games against the Highlanders. In the series finale, Owings was 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs as the game resulted in a tie due to travel obligations. He blasted a two-run shot in the third inning and added a solo homer in the eighth as EMU rallied from down two to knot score at 9-all. Furthermore, it was the first multi-home run game of the EMU third baseman’s career, and the first Kolten Schenker had a pair of bombs against Dayton, March 6, 2018.
Michael Turner, Kent State, C/INF
Sophomore, Warren, Ohio (Champion High School)
Sophomore Michael Turner led the Flashes offensively in the series, scoring three of Kent State's five runs and notching three hits with two doubles and a walk over the three games. The Northeast, Ohio native went 2-for-3 Sunday, leading off the top of the third inning with a double and the fifth with a single. Starting all three games, Turner showed versatility, seeing time in three different defensive positions (1B, 3B, C).
Connor Wollersheim, Kent State, LHP
Senior, Neenah, Wisc. (Appleton North)
Wollersheim had a strong performance on the hill for the Flashes in the season opener against a strong Dallas Baptist team. Tossing 5.0 innings, the Neenah, Wisc. native rang up 6 batters and did not allow an earned run. Against a Dallas Baptist offense that averaged 10.3 hits per game in 2018, Wollersheim pitched 4.0 scoreless innings and held the Patriots to just four hits and did not allow a hit with a runner in scoring position, stranding four runners on base. He ended his night striking out the side in the fifth inning.
Spencer Mraz, Miami, Pitcher
Junior, Middleburg Heights, Ohio (Berea-Midpark)
Mraz was nearly unhittable in his first start of the season on Sunday against Saint Louis. He held the Billikens hitless for the first 5.1 innings of the game. He ended up allowing only two runs on two hits in 6.0 innings, earning the victory. He struck out eight and only walked one batter.
Charlie Harrigan, Miami, First Base
Junior, LaGrange, Ill. (Lyons Township)
Harrigan had a memorable debut for the RedHawks on opening weekend. He had four total hits, all extra base hits, two doubles, a triple and one home run. He drew four walks for an on base percentage of .444. His slugging percentage was .786. Harrigan hit Miami's first home run of the season in Sunday's game against Saint Louis as he blasted one well over the right field fence to drive in two runs.
Ty Jandrowski, NIU, Pitcher
R-Senior, Kenosha, Wis. (Bradford/Madison College)
In his first career start on the mound for NIU, Ty Jandrowski allowed just two runs on four hits at California Baptist in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Jandrowski held the Lancers scoreless through the first five innings, stranding three runners in the process.
Connor Montgomery, NIU, DH
Sophomore, Newport Beach, Calif. (Canyon)
Montgomery slugged two home runs and had four RBI in NIU's four games at California Baptist this weekend. The sophomore hit a home run in the Huskies' season opener on Feb. 16, and added another in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. He was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in that game.
Eddie Kutt IV, Ohio, RHP
Sophomore, Westlake, Calif.
Sophomore RHP Eddie Kutt IV tossed three innings of shutout baseball in Ohio's season opener. Coming in out of the bullpen, Kutt IV fanned one batter and allowed just one hit without walking one batter. Kutt IV faced the minimum nine batters in his three innings.
Ryan Sargent, Ohio, OF
R-Freshman,Algonquin, Ill.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Sargent (Algonquin, Ill.) played a major role in Ohio getting their first win of the season against Wofford on Saturday. In Ohio's 6-4 win over the Terriers, Sargent knocked in two RBI with a double, and also swiped a bag and scored twice. Sargent was 4-of-11 during the opening weekend and reached base five times.
Jack Szott, Western Michigan, RHP
R-Jr., Fraser, Mich.
Szott got the ball on Opening Day for the Broncos and was dominant on the mound at Southeast Missouri State. Szott went five innings of scoreless baseball and allowed just one hit while striking out four. Szott held Southeast Missouri State hitless through the first four innings and threw just 44 pitches. Szott came one shy of tying his career-high in strikeouts, registering four in opening day start.
Blake Dunn, Western Michigan, Outfielder
Sophomore, Saugatuck, Mich. (Saugatuck)
It was a stellar weekend at the plate for Blake Dunn, registering a batting average of .429 with a slugging percentage of .643. Dunn had four RBI’s on the weekend and belted his first career home run along with two runs scored. Dunn led the offense in game two against Southeast Missouri State on Sunday, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. The sophomore outfielder followed his performance in game three by going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI’s and a home run (the first of his career). Dunn’s home run came in the top of the eighth inning of game three to cut the Bronco deficit down to one at SEMO. The Saugatuck, Mich., native leads WMU in batting average through the first weekend of play.
