Georgia Tech Corner Infielder Matt Skole, N.C. State Ace Cory Mazzoni Lead Week-6 Primetime Performers

March 30, 2011
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A pair of ACC standouts – Georgia Tech corner infielder Matt Skole (Woodstock, Ga.) and North Carolina State ace righthander Cory Mazzoni (Evans City, Pa.) – lead the way among the CB360 week-6 Primetime Performers for Division I baseball (March 21-27).   front-page photo courtesy of Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech's Matt Skole

Skole is the the Primetime Player of the Week and Mazzoni the Primetime Pitcher for the week of March 21-27, as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com. Nine other players round out the week-6 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (listed below).

N.C. State's Cory Mazzoni

SKOLE was an all-around offensive force while batting out of the 3-hole during a 4-0 week (8-3 at rival Georgia; 8-3, 12-3 in 10 inn., and 3-1 sweep at #30 Miami), as the Yellow Jackets pushed their win streak to 16 games. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefthanded batter hit at a .579 clip during the week (11-for-19), with a gaudy 1.689 OPS (.636 on-base pct. plus 1.053 slugging). His 20 total bases included a pair of home runs (one a grand slam) and three doubles while he factored into 13 of his team’s run (11 RBI, 4 R) and reached base 14 times, with three walks.

In the rivalry showdown at Georgia, Skole hit 5-for-5 with 8 RBI and the pair of home runs. He added a pair of multiple-hit games while batting .429 in the three games at Miami (3 RBI, 3 2B), as the Jackets swept a road series from Miami for the first time since 1967. Skole’s clutch RBI double broke a 1-1 tie in the 9th inning of the series finale, securing the sweep and keeping the win streak alive.

MAZZONI outdueled Clemson ace Scott Weismann in the 4-0 series opener, with the 4-hit shutout vaulting the Wolfpack on to a series victory over the #16 Tigers. It was the first shutout posted by N.C. State since a combined shutout vs. Texas in 2004. The 6-1, 195-pound righthander matched his career high with 10 strikeouts in the impressive series opener, while facing only 35 batters, with a pair of walks. Clemson ranks among the nation’s top offenses, currently owning a .318 team batting average while averaging nearly eight runs scored per game.

Clemson managed a 2-out double by Jeff Schaus in the opening frame and Richie Shaffer had a leadoff single up the middle in the 2nd – but Mazzoni then retired 16 consecutive batters (and 20 of the next 21). The Tigers tried to rally, loading the bases with 2-outs in the 8th, but Schaus popped up to shortstop to extend the shutout. Two runners were aboard in the 9th, but Mazzoni closed things out on a Will Lamb groundout and Jason Stolz flyout to right field.

Primetime Performer Award Criteria (not based solely on raw stats, but rather …)

• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or performed a high level in games that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification; made significant contribution to team’s postseason positioning (single-game wins, “quality” wins, series wins, road wins, etc.).
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performed at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcame adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual). • Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

Note – CB360 is planning to post additional information and photos to this release (check back later for full Primetime tribute pages covering the past few weeks).

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL #6
(week of March 21-27, 2011 … presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Ben Carhart (Stetson .. 3B … Jr. … Royal Palm Beach, FL … 5-11/180 … Bats: R … 3-hole … #22)
Marco Gonzales (Gonzaga … LHP … Fr. … Fort Collins, CO … 6-1/185 … #7)
Garvin Grayson (Vanderbilt … LHP .. Jr. … Suwanee, GA … 6-6/220 … #28)
*Cory Mazzoni (North Carolina State … RHP … Jr. … Evans City, PA … 6-1/195 … #39)
Peter Mooney (South Carolina … SS … Jr. … Loxahatchee, FL … 5-7/160 … Bats: L … 2-hole … #6)
Daryl Norris (Mississippi State … 1B/RHP … Fr. … Fairhope, AL … 6-1/220 … Bats: R … cleanup/6-hole … #5)
Mason Radeke (Cal Poly … RHP … Jr. … Santa Barbara, CA … 6-1/185 … #29)
Hudson Randall (Florida … RHP … So. … Atlanta, GA … 6-3/185 … #11)
Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida … CF … So. … Eagle  Lake, FL … 5-7/175 … #2)
*Matt Skole (Georgia Tech … 3B/1B … Jr. … Woodstock, GA … 6-4/225 … Bats: L … 3-hole … #16)
Mike Strong (Oklahoma State .. LHP … Sr. … Afton, MN … 6-0/190 … #23)
* Skole is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Mazzoni the Primetime Pitcher of the Week

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