Baseball

MAC Announces Final Baseball Player & Pitcher Weekly Honors

MAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Ben Cruikshank, Kent State, LHP      
Junior, Fairview Heights, Ill./Missouri State
Cruikshank tossed the second shutout of the Flashes' season on Friday, tossing a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win over Eastern Michigan. Cruikshank struck out eight and only three Eagles made it to second base and nobody advanced further. He held EMU to a lowly .045 batting average.
 
MAC Baseball Co-Players of the Week
Zach Cole, Ball State, Outfield          
Junior, Ozark, Mo. (Springfield Catholic)     
Zach Cole led the Cardinals with a .588 batting average and produced a team-high 10 hits to help Ball State sweep Miami. He hit his NCAA-leading ninth triple of the season. He led the team with a 1.176 slugging percentage, eight RBIs and two home runs. He tied for the team lead with five runs scored and two doubles. He notched one stolen base. Defensively, he added eight putouts. 
 
Nick Arrivo, Akron, Outfield 
Graduate Student, Ann Arbor, Mich.           
Akron Zips outfielder Nick Arrivo (Ann Arbor, Mich.) had a spectacular season finale, lifting the Zips to a 2-1 series win over Purdue Fort Wayne. Arrivo finished the series with a pair of game-ending homeruns on with the bases full. The Zips fell 6-5 in the opening game to the Mastodons as Arrivo went 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI and run scored. In game two of the doubleheader, Arrivo launched a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a 7-6 walk-off victory in extra innings. He finished the game batting 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. In the series finale and final game of Akron’s regular season campaign, Arrivo went 4-for-5 from the plate, including a grand slam that lifted the Zips to an 11-0 lead and ended the game. He recorded eight RBI with one run scored. For the series, Arrivo posted a .615 batting average with an 8-for-13 performance and a 1.231 slugging percentage that generated 10 RBI, 16 total bases and three runs scored. He registered five singles two with RBI, and RBI triple, a solo homerun to win a game in extra innings and a grand slam to end the game due to run rule.