FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NE10 Student-Athletes Sweep National Honors
MANSFIELD, Mass. - LeMoyne junior Andrew Taft has been selected as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Hitter of the Week, while Pace's junior left-handed pitcher Dan Wirchansky has been named the National Pitcher of the Week. It's believed to be the first time in at least the past five years the East Region has swept the weekly awards, and both student-athletes represent the Northeast-10 Conference.
The NCBWA released its initial 2018 NCAA Division II National Players of the Week awards for the week ending on March 5 yesterday afternoon. Both were also recognized as the East Region Player and Pitcher of the Week as well as the NE10 recipients of both weekly awards as well.
Taft, slashed .529/.619/1.471 in Le Moyne's 2-2 weekend series with Shippensburg, blasting five home runs, driving in 12 runs and scoring eight times. He opened the weekend by going 2-3 with a home run and three runs scored and two RBI in an 11-1 win. He launched another home run and had two more RBI in an 8-7 win in the nightcap on Saturday. Taft went 2-4 with a home run and three RBI in a 4-3 setback in Sunday's opener and closed out the weekend by going 4-5 with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored in a 12-11 setback.
Wirchansky was the first unanimous selection this season as he opened the 2018 Pace season in storybook fashion on Sunday firing a nine-inning perfect game against Dominican. The lefty retired all 27 batters he faced, and was dominant in doing so. At one point, he fanned seven straight Chargers en route to finishing the day with a career-high 16 strikeouts. He struck out the side in both the third and fourth innings when his team was clinging to a 2-0 lead before blowing the game open with five runs in the seventh on the way to an 8-0 win.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.