INDIANAPOLIS – Hillsdale and Kentucky Wesleyan worked their way to Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball Players of the Week selections as announced on Monday afternoon.
Malone leads the league standings for another week as the Pioneers push for the 30-win plateau while currently riding a nine-game win streak.
Trevecca Nazarene is in second with a 13-7 league record and multiple times are in position to make a push for seeding the playoffs at PRASCO Park for the conference tourney in Mason, Ohio.
Player of the Week
Jake Hoover
Hillsdale
Shortstop
Junior
Armada, MI (Armada HS)
An on-base machine at the top of the Hillsdale batting order, Hoover had a week to remember as the Chargers won five games, including four in conference play.
The leadoff man who helped the Chargers win last year’s conference championship batted .591 (13-for-22) and slugged seven extra-base hits, including four doubles and three home runs.
Hoover drove in seven and scored 11 times. He also walked twice, stole a couple bases and recorded three hits in four of his team’s five games.
In the first day of the eventual series sweep against Ohio Valley, Hoover was 6-for-10 while homering in back-to-back games.
Hillsdale’s offense erupted for 63 runs in the four conference wins. Hoover has a team-leading batting average of .387 in 34 games played this year, which ranks sixth in the conference. He’s also tied for the league lead in hits with 53 and paces all players in runs scored (56).
Hoover also ranks first in triples (5), second in total bases (90) and is third in stolen bases with 17.
In game one, Hoover blasted a solo shot in the seventh inning before belting another, this time a leadoff homer, his fourth of the spring, in game two. Carrying over into the next day, Hoover stayed hot with a 3-for-4 line including a pair of doubles and two stolen bases.
He continued to shower the power swing with his fifth homer of the year to start off a wild 14-run first inning vs. the Fighting Scots.
Pitcher of the Week
Devin Smith
Kentucky Wesleyan
RHP
Junior
Teutopolis, IL (Teutopolis HS/Lincoln Land CC)
After mowing down 10 hitters last week against Walsh, Smith was up to some of his same tricks, punching out 10 more against Cedarville on the road.
Smith earned back-to-back conference weekly pitching accolades, a tough feat in itself given the sheer number of games and arms around the league.
The junior hurler improved to 5-0 on the year while going the distance in an 8-0 Panthers shutout.
Smith lowered his ERA to 2.23 in eight starts. He has now struck out 57 batters over 48.1 innings pitched.
Smith’s spring stock continued to soar as he now ranks third in the league in strikeouts and is second among qualified starters by keeping hitters at bay with a .206 opposing average.