PITMAN --- The New Jersey Athletic Conference has announced its baseball weekly award winners for the week ending March 22.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JOHN TOMSHO • Montclair State University
Freshman • Outfield • King of Prussia, PA/Upper Merion
Tomsho earns NJAC Player of the Week just one week after earning the conference’s rookie honor. He led Montclair State to a 3-1 week in which he batted .533 with eight hits, eight RBI, six runs scored, a home run, a double, and three stolen bases across four games. The freshman saved his best for last, going 3-for-3 with four RBI, three runs scored, a home run, a double, and a stolen base to power Montclair State to a 13-3 victory over Westfield State on Sunday. He also collected three hits and three RBI in Saturday's 13-0 shutout win to wrap up the three-game set against Westfield State.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
MICHAEL ZALINKANSKAS • Ramapo College
Sophomore • Pitcher • Cranford, NJ/Cranford
Zalinkanskas has been selected as NJAC Pitcher of the Week after posting a 2-0 record with a 0.84 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 10.2 innings across two starts. The sophomore set a new career high with 14 strikeouts in just five innings during Saturday's 13-6 win over St. Joseph's (L.I.), marking his third consecutive outing with double-digit punchouts. He opened the week with 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 victory over Southern Maine. Opposing batters hit just .135 against Zalinkanskas on the week as he continued his dominant stretch on the mound.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
BRADEN SCHAPPERT • Ramapo College
Freshman • Shortstop/Third Base • Sparta, NJ/Sparta
Schappert becomes the second Roadrunner named NJAC Rookie of the Week this year after batting .474 with a .842 slugging percentage, nine hits, five RBI, and eight runs scored across six games. The freshman collected five extra-base hits on the week, including a home run, a triple, and two doubles, finishing with a flourish by going 7-for-8 with five RBI and seven runs scored across a doubleheader sweep of St. Joseph's (L.I.) on Saturday. His three-hit, two-RBI effort in the opener featured a solo homer, while he went 4-for-4 with a triple and two runs in the nightcap. Schappert was equally impressive on the defensive side, handling 22 chances in the infield with a .955 fielding percentage while turning three double plays.
ROOKIE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
AUSTIN HANNI • The College of New Jersey
Freshman • Pitcher • Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East
Hanni garners his first and TCNJ’s second NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week honor after spinning a 91-pitch 9-inning complete game in his first career start, leading the Lions to a 5-2 victory over Mount Aloysius. The freshman scattered just four hits and one earned run across nine innings while striking out four and walking two. Hanni kept his pitch count efficient throughout, never allowing the game to get away from him as he became the first TCNJ freshman to throw a complete game this season. He held opposing batters to a .129 average in the outing.