DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week awards presented by The Game Headwear for the period ending May 5. Connecticut graduate student outfielder Sam Biller was named National Hitter of the Week, while Arkansas junior left-handed pitcher Zach Root and Michigan State junior left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa were named National Co-Pitchers of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Biller was the centerpiece of a UConn offense that broke out with 82 runs scored in a 4-1 week, batting 12-for-19 (.632) with four walks. The Los Angeles, California, native, registered at least two hits in all five outings, in addition to adding at least one run and one RBI in every contest. Overall, he capped the week with 10 runs scored, 17 RBI and five home runs, in addition to hitting a quartet of doubles.
Biller’s best performance of the week included a 4-for-5 outing in the series opener against Villanova, smacking three balls out of the park and collecting six RBI. Defensively, the graduate senior was a perfect 13-for-13 in put outs. Biller is riding an 11-game hit streak, amassing 29 RBI, 19 runs and eight home runs over the stretch.
Root twirled a career-long eight scoreless innings and tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts in Arkansas’ 9-0 series-opening shutout win against No. 1 Texas. The Fort Myers, Florida, native, allowed two hits and issued a pair of walks, logging his team-leading fourth quality start and team-high sixth win in the process
Behind Root’s dominant performance on the mound, the Razorback pitching staff combined for a two-hit shutout in the series opener against the top-ranked Longhorns. Arkansas went on to secure its first weekend series sweep against Texas in program history as well as its first weekend series sweep against the No. 1 team in the country since the 2001 campaign.
Dzierwa threw a complete-game shutout against No. 6 Oregon on Friday night. The native of Haskins, Ohio, spearheaded MSU's biggest upset since beating No. 1 Oregon State in 2014 with Friday night's takedown of the Ducks.
The junior hurler chalked up 11 strikeouts and stymied the Oregon bats to just three hits over the nine innings pitched and didn't allow a walk. Dzierwa's complete game is the first this season by a Spartan pitcher and first since former teammate Nick Powers' complete game vs. Marshall, Feb. 24, 2024.
Dzierwa's 11 strikeouts Friday night was his fourth double-digit strikeout outing of the season, but first since Feb. 28, as he opened the season with three-straight 10+ strikeout outings.
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