MAC Announces Players & Pitchers of the Week
MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Kian O'Brien, Kent State, 3B
Senior, Madison, Wis. (Madison La Follette)
O’Brien has been an offensive juggernaut in the heart of the Kent State batting order, batting at a .500 clip through five games this week. The Madison, Wis. native had a .882 slugging percentage on the week, crushing two home runs and a double for seven RBIs and six runs scored. He also drew four walks and was hit twice to post a .609 on-base percentage for the week. Starting off the week with a win over Malone, O’Brien reached base four times, collecting three walks and a hit by pitch to score three of Kent State’s nine runs of the game. In the first game of the conference series against WMU, O’Brien led the offense going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs scored and a home run on the night. His three-run home run blasted over the wall in left field in the bottom of the third inning secured the win over the Broncos. The senior then closed out the series, going 3-for-5 in the finale with a double and a home run and collecting four RBIs. O’Brien knocked in the first run of the game with a two-out double to right field and later extended the Flashes’ lead to 7-2, launching a two-run home run to left field. On the season, he now ranks ninth in the MAC in slugging percentage (.537) and seventh in home runs (4).
MAC Baseball Co-Pitchers of the Week
Chayce McDermott, Ball State, RHP
R-Freshman, Alexandria, Ind.
McDermott won at Central Michigan, throwing 6 shutout innings on Sunday to lead Ball State to a 10-0 win. He also got 3 innings of relief work in on Monday against a 24-10 IU-Kokomo team. For the week, he worked 9 shutout innings and struck out 13. Opponents hit just .161 against him.
Scott Granzotto, Eastern Michigan, LHP
Sophomore, Northville, Michigan (Gabriel Richard)
Granzotto delivered a dominant performance, leading Eastern in its series-opening win over Bowling Green State University, April 5, in Ypsilanti. The sophomore lefty tossed a complete game, allowing just one run, six hits, and one walk, while striking out eight Falcon hitters in his effort. Granzotto's wire-to-wire performance is the first complete game performance for Eastern since the 2017 season when Davis Feldman went this distance in a 9-1 victory over Central Michigan University in the MAC Tournament in Avon, Ohio, May 27. Granzotto, dialed in from the start, became increasingly dominant throughout the contest, blanking BGSU in their final five frames, and delivering his three hardest pitches in his last three of the game. With the win, Granzotto picked up his third win of the 2019 season.
Other Nominees
Mack Murphy, Ball State, OF
Freshman, Indianapolis, Ind.
Murphy, Ball State's freshman starting leftfielder, hit 3 doubles and a home run to lead Ball State this week. He hit .353 and led the team with 6 RBIs and 12 total bases. He also walked 3 times for a .429 on-base percentage. He homered and doubled against Manchester and hit 2 doubles against a 24-10 IU-Kokomo team. Ball State went 3-2 during the week.
Zach Gilles, Central Michigan, OF
Junior, Chippewas Falls, Wis. (McDonell Central)
Gilles remained red hot at the plate as the Chippewas finished the week with a 4-1 record with two non-conference wins over Notre Dame and Michigan State and two home MAC wins over Ball State . Over the the five-game stretch, the Chippewa Falls, Wis., native hit .474 with nine hits, five RBI and five walks. On Tuesday's 17-7 route of the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Gilles went 4-of-5 at the dish with four RBI and also legged out a pair of triples. On Friday's 5-4 win over Ball State in the series opener, he went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to go along with a pair of walks.
Cam Brown, Central Michigan, RHP
Junior, Pontiac, Ill. (Pontiac Township)
Central Michigan junior right hander Cam Brown turned in another dominate performance on the mound in his lone start this past week helping propel the Chippewas to a 5-0 series clinching victory over Ball State on Saturday. The Pontiac, Ill., native worked a season-high 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball allowing 4 hits with a season-best seven punch outs. With a perfect 6-0 record on the season, Brown paces the conference and ranks No.8 in the NCAA.
Cameron Cruz, Eastern Michigan, Center Field
Senior, Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton) (Mesa C.C.)
Cruz put together a strong week at the plate, helping Eastern Michigan to earn its first series victory of the season, and its ninth straight over Bowling Green State University. In four games against Oakland and BGSU, respectively, Cruz compiled a .538 batting average and .615 slugging percentage, going 7-for-13 at the plate with two doubles and 6 RBI. The senior from Chandler, Ariz. now ranks sixth in the conference with 10 doubles on the season.
Connor Wollersheim, Kent State, LHP
SeniorNeenah, Wis. (Appleton North)
Wollershiem has been dynamic on the mound for the Flashes all season, and collected his second win of the season in Friday’s 9-5 win over Western Michigan. The Neenah, Wis. native tossed 6.0 innings and held a strong WMU offense that had averaged more than 10 hits and six runs per game to just one run on four hits while striking out a season-high nine batters. On the season, Wollersheim has made eight starts, striking out no less than six batters in each appearance and holding opponents to just a .208 average. He currently ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (55)and third in innings pitched (48.0).
Cristian Tejada, Miami, Outfield
Sophomore, Twinsburg, Ohio (Twinsburg)
Tejada set the pace as Miami's leadoff hitter this past week. He hit .429 with an on-base percentage of .550. And with a double, a triple and a home run, he had a slugging percentage of .857. Tejada drove in a run on a double in Miami's victory over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday. He scored twice after drawing three walks against Toledo on Friday. In Saturday's 3-2 win over the Rockets, Tejada finished 3-for-4 with a triple. Finally on Sunday, Tejada hit his first career collegiate home run.
Andy Almquist, Miami, Pitcher
Senior, Liberty Township, Ohio (Lakota East)
Almquist earned a pair of saves in three appearances this past week. He gave up no earned runs and only one hit in 3.1 innings pitched, as opponents only batted .091 against him. Almquist got his first save of the week by pitching the final 1.1 innings in the victory over NKU on Wednesday. On Saturday against Toledo he came in with runners on first and second and two outs, while the RedHawks were nursing a 3-2 lead. He calmly got a flyout to end the game and record another save. Almquist also threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief against the Rockets on Sunday.
Nick Drobushevich, Northern Illinois, OF
Freshman, Moline, Ill. (Moline)
Drobushevich hit .400 with six RBI as NIU went 3-1 this week, sweeping Ohio at Ralph McKinzie Field. The freshman outfielder was 5-for-11 over the weekend against the Bobcats with five runs batted in. On Saturday, Drobushevich was 2-for-4 with three RBI and his 10th stolen base of the season. It was his second three-RBI game of the year. He added another two hits and an RBI in Sunday's series finale against Ohio. Drobushevich got it done on defense as well with three outfield assists in four games.
Ryan Anderson, Northern Illinois, Pitcher
Junior, Palatine, Ill. (Palatine/McHenry C.C.)
Anderson allowed three unearned runs in 9.1 innings pitched this week, going 1-1 against Milwaukee and Ohio. The junior allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts on April 2 against Milwaukee. He was pressed into starting duty on Sunday and delivered 7.1 innings of one-run ball. Anderson had a season high five strikeouts as NIU completed its sweep of Ohio, scattering eight hits with no walks for his first win as a Huskie.
Brad Boss, Toledo, OF
Senior, Temperance, Mich. (Bedford)
Boss was the top offensive producer for Toledo last week, hitting .389 (7-for-18) and tallying four extra-base hits while driving in four runs. His slugging percentage was a team-high .722, and his solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first against Miami on Sunday set the tone in UT's 7-5 win.
Blake Dunn, Western Michigan, Outfielder
Sophomore, Saugatuck, Mich. (Saugatuck)
Dunn in four games over the weekend led the Broncos with a staggering .600 batting average along with a .667 slugging percentage and a .650 on-base percentage. Dunn led the Broncos with nine total hits, generating three runs scored and two RBIs. The sophomore outfielder registered multi-hit games in each of the four contests including a 3-for-4 effort with a run scored on Friday at Kent State. Against Michigan State at Comerica Park on Wednesday, Dunn went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Dunn recorded at least one RBI in two of the four games and scored at least one run in three of the four. Dunn has currently reached base safely in 28 straight games. On the season, Dunn has 18 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games.
Brady Miller, Western Michigan, RHP
Freshman, Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield North)
In two appearances last week Brady Miller threw 8.2 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out eight. Miller ended the week with a 1.04 ERA and picked up his first collegiate victory on Saturday at Kent State. In midweek action against Michigan State, Miller was lights out against the Spartans throwing 2.2 innings, allowing no earned runs on three hits while striking out three. On Saturday at Kent State, Miller was dominant in WMU’s 11-1 win over the Golden Flashes. Miller went six innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out five. Miller held Kent State to just one hit through the first five innings of work.
