JJ Schwarz Named National Hitter of the Week By the NCBWA
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.V. – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 12 on Tuesday. Florida freshman catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz was named National Hitter of the Week, while Connecticut sophomore left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Schwarz batted .529 (9-for-17) with 15 RBI, 12 runs scored and seven home runs as Florida captured all four games last week, including a sweep of No. 21 South Carolina. His seven-homer barrage surpassed the six homers Taylor Gushue had in 63 games last year to lead the Gators.
All nine of his hits went for extra-bases (seven homers, two doubles) and he recorded a slugging percentage of 1.882. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida native belted a school-record four homers against Stetson, tying the SEC's single-game mark set in 1982 by Kentucky's Bill Sandry, and established a UF single-game mark with 18 total bases.
He went 5-for-6 against the Hatters and totaled a career-high 10 RBI, second-most ever by a Gator, with a two-run homer in the second inning, a two-run blast in the third inning, a three-run jack in the fourth, a solo big fly in the seventh and a two-run double in the eighth.
Against South Carolina, Schwarz hit .364 (4-for-11) with a team-high seven runs, five RBI and three homers during the three wins over the Gamecocks. He completed the weekend by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of round-trippers, a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run dinger in the eighth. He started the series with USC with a run-scoring double in the fifth and a leadoff homer in the seventh.
2015 WINNERS:
Hitter of the Week – Feb. 17 – Eric Gutierrez, Jr., 1B, Texas Tech; Feb. 24 – KJ Harrison, Fr., C, Oregon State; March 3 – Braden Bishop, Jr., OF, Washington; March 10 – Dante Flores, Sr., INF, USC; March 17 – David Thompson, Sr., 3B, Miami; March 24 – DJ Stewart, Jr., OF, Florida State; March 31 – Chris Shaw, Jr., OF, Boston College; April 7 – Christin Stewart, Jr., OF, Tennessee; April 14 – JJ Schwarz, Fr., C/DH, FLORIDA.
Pitcher of the Week – Feb. 17 – Luke Gillingham, Jr., LHP, Navy; Feb. 24 – Preston Morrison, Sr., RHP, TCU; March 3 – Alex Robinett, Sr., RHP, Army; March 10 – Carson Cross, Sr., RHP, Connecticut; March 17 – Chris Chism, Jr., RHP, Tennessee Tech; March 24 – Drew Rasmussen, Fr., RHP, Oregon State; March 31 – James McMahon, Sr., RHP, Southern Miss; April 7 – James Reeves, Jr., LHP, The Citadel; April 14 – Anthony Kay, So., LHP, Connecticut.
The No. 7 Gators (28-10) face Mississippi State (22-16) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Starkville. The game can be heard through GatorZone.com and on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell. It will also be carried on SEC Network+ through participating TV providers only through WatchESPN. Live stats for each game will be available on GatorZone.com and fans can also follow updates of each game on @GatorZoneBB, the official Twitter account of the Gator baseball team.
