CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Players of the Week

National Player

Max Muncy (Keller, Texas)

Baylor junior first baseman

Muncy went 9 for 18 (.500) in four victories for the Bears with two doubles, two homers, seven runs and nine RBI. Muncy drew two walks and struck out just once. He had 17 total bases and posted a slugging percentage of .944. His two-run double in the eighth of Sunday’s series finale helped complete the sweep of Kansas.

National Pitcher

Sean Newcomb (Middleboro, Mass.)

Hartford freshman left-hander

Newcomb pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with Yale. He walked two and struck out 10 in the 2-0 win over the Bulldogs. It was the first Division I no-hitter for the Hawks as well as the first collegiate victory and first complete game for Newcomb.

Regional Players of the Week

Northeast Player

Patrick Kivlehan (West Nyack, N.Y.)

Rutgers senior third baseman

Kivlehan batted .692 (9 for 13) in four games with two homers, four runs and seven RBI. He drew four walks and was plunked twice for an on-base percentage of .789. Kivlehan went 7 for 10 (.700) in a three-game Big East series against Seton Hall and reached base in 12 of 15 plate appearances (.800 on-base percentage).

Northeast Pitcher

Pat Light (Colts Neck, N.J.)

Monmouth junior right-hander

Light was perfect through seven innings and posted a two-hit shutout, a 2-0 victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference play. Light did not issue a free pass and struck out 11. He set down the first 21 in order before surrendering a leadoff single to Hayden Hunter in the eighth. Light faced one batter over the minimum.

Southeast Player

Zak Messer (Bristol, Va.)

Lipscomb senior second baseman

Messer went 7 for 13 (.538) with two doubles, one triple and two home runs, helping the Bison sweep Mercer in Atlantic Sun play for the first time in program history. Messer had seven runs and seven RBI while posting a slugging percentage of 1.308. Messer drew three walks and recorded an on-base percentage of .600.

Southeast Pitcher

Zack Godley (Bamberg, S.C.)

Tennessee junior right-hander

Godley handed Kentucky its first loss of the season on Friday, helping the Volunteers record a 4-1 win over the Wildcats. Godley worked eight innings with three hits and one earned run. He allowed a leadoff double to start the game, the only extra-base hit he surrendered. Godley retired 21 of the final 25 he faced.

Central Player

Blake Brown (Semmes, Ala.)

Southern Miss junior first baseman

Brown went 6 for 17 (.353) in four games with three homers, eight runs and eight RBI as the Golden Eagles went 3-1. He hit safely in all four contests and went deep in three different games. Brown had a triple, a two-run dinger and drove in three in a 10-0 win at No. 20 Ole Miss on Tuesday.

Central Pitcher

Pierce Johnson (Arvada, Colo.)

Missouri State junior right-hander

Johnson struck out a career-high 16 in a complete-game 3-0 victory over Creighton on Friday to kick off the Missouri Valley Conference schedule. Johnson allowed five hits in going the distance for the second straight game. He has recorded double-digit strikeouts in four consecutive games, a program first.

West Player

Royce Bolinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.)

Gonzaga senior outfielder

Bollinger went 9 for 17 (.529) with three home runs and seven RBI in a four-game home series with Hawaii. He went deep in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader with the Rainbows and homered twice in the series finale on Sunday. Bollinger extended his hitting streak to nine and raised his batting average to .366.

West Pitcher

Michael Benson (Placentia, Calif.)

Pacific freshman right-hander

Benson tossed his first shutout and complete game in a 10-0 win over Brown in the first game on Saturday’s doubleheader. He scattered six hits, all singles, in nine innings with no walks and six strikeouts. Benson needed just 95 pitches to record the victory and did not allow a runner to reach second.

Note - regional players of the week are chosen based on their conference affiliation. To see our list of regions, click here.

(Light photo by Monmouth University Photography; other photos courtesy of Media Relations Offices)