DALLAS (NCBWA) Louisville third baseman Drew Ellis has been named Player of the Month and Oregon State's Jake Thompson has been tabbed as Pitcher of the Month for April, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has announced.
Ellis, a native of Jeffersonville, Ind., has a prolific April at the plate for the high-octane Cardinals. The junior hit .455 (30-for-66) in 19 games with five doubles, one triple and eight homers, driving in 22 runs and sporting a .532 on-base percentage. On the year, Ellis leads the No. 2 Cardinals with a .398 average (64-for-161) with 45 runs, 15 doubles, one triple and 13 homers, driving in 44 runs and reaching base at a .495 clip.
Thompson, a product of Florence, Ore., went 4-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his five starts in April. He worked 38 innings, allowing only 22 hits and nine walks, striking out 35. He fanned 11 in a win over USC to end April and earned two of his four wins in rubber matches. The Beavers, ranked No. 1 in the latest NCBWA top-30 poll, went 12-3 during the month. In 2017, Thompson has a 9-0 record and a 1.07 ERA in 12 games, fanning 78 and walking 24 in 76 innings, surrendering only 41 hits.
This marks the second season the NCBWA has honored a national player and pitcher of the month.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
For more information on the NCBWA Division I National Players of the Month, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director
Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.
2017 NCBWA Division I Players of the Week:
Feb. 21: Andrew Kendrick, Youngstown State (Hitter);
Jared Poché, LSU and Robbie Welhaf, Elon (Pitcher)
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Feb. 28: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter);
Justin Dillon, Sacramento State (Pitcher)
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March 7: Chase Lunceford, Louisiana Tech (Hitter);
Danny Hrbek, Radford and Parker Rigler, Kansas State (Pitcher)
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March 14: Connor Smith, Western Michigan (Hitter);
Eli Morgan, Gonzaga (Pitcher)
· March 21:
Jake Scheiner, Houston (Hitter); John Gavin, Cal State Fullerton (Pitcher)
· March 28: Matt Lloyd, Indiana (Hitter); Cory Abbott,
Loyola Marymount (Pitcher)
· April 4: Keaton
Kringlen, BYU (Hitter); Alex Cunningham, Coastal Carolina (Pitcher)
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April 11: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter);
Michael Grove, West Virginia (Pitcher)
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April 18: Stuart Fairchild, Wake Forest (Hitter); Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt (Pitcher)
· April 25: Dylan Busby, Florida State (Hitter);
Alex Faedo, Florida (Pitcher)
· May 2: Hunter
Hargrove, Texas Tech (Hitter); David Peterson, Oregon (Pitcher)
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May 9: Dan Kerwin, UT Martin (Hitter); Trevor Stephan,
Arkansas (Pitcher)
· May 16: Jared Barnes,
South Alabama (Hitter); Zach Prendergast, Seton Hall (Pitcher)
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May 23: Kevin Milam, St. Mary's (Hitter); Cole Bartlett,
Missouri (Pitcher)
2017 NCBWA Division I Players of the Month:
February: Brendon McKay, Lousiville (Hitter); James
Poché, LSU (Pitcher)
· March: Brent
Rooker, Mississippi State (Hitter); David Peterson, Oregon (Pitcher)
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April: Drew Ellis, Louisville (Hitter); Jake Thompson,
Oregon State (Pitcher)
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May: Chris Carrier, Memphis (Hitter); Trey Cumbie,
Houston (Pitcher)