Alabama senior catcher Brock Bennett (Tucker, Ga.) and Oregon State no-hit performer Josh Osich (Boise, Idaho; LHP, sr.) headline the CB360 week-11 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (for April 25-May 1, 2011), as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com. front-page photo courtesy of Oregon State
Oregon State's Josh Osich
Alabama's Brock Bennett
Bennett is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Osich the Primetime Pitcher, with 11 other players (listed below) joining them on the week-11 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll.
OSICH – who could return in 2012 as a 5th-year senior – became the first Oregon State pitcher since 1947 to throw a no-hitter, doing so in the 2-0 series-clinching win at UCLA (cb360 #25). The outing was all the more impressive due to several factors, as a 4th-inning walk was all that prevented Osich from the rarity of a perfect game while the performance was magnified due to the presence of opposing pitcher Trevor Bauer (who now is 8-2 this season, with a 1.47 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 92 innings).
Josh Osich allowed only three balls out of the infield in his no-hitter at UCLA, with a career-high 13 strikeouts, nine groundouts and a pair of infield popups.
It had been 17 seasons since a Pacific-10 Conference pitcher fashioned a no-hitter versus a conference opponent, stretching back to Jason Middlebrook’s no-hitter (also vs. UCLA) during the 1994 season. The 6-3, 220-pound Osich registered the fourth no-hitter in Oregon State history and the first by a Pac-10 team since 2007.
Over the course of his historic 121-pitch outing, Osich allowed only three balls out of the infield – with his 27 outs including a career-best 13 strikeouts, nine groundouts and a pair of popups to the first baseman (one in foul territory). Osich, now 6-1 in 2011, carries a 2.88 season ERA into May.
A 4th-inning walk was all the prevented Josh Osich from throwing a complete game, in the 2-0 pitchers duel vs. UCLA's Trevor Bauer.
The versatile BENNETT played a key role during the week, as Alabama boosted its NCAA resume with a 7-3 win at Southern Mississippi (cb360 #16) and a key SEC series win at #32 Mississippi State (5-4 in 10; 5-4, 5-8). The veteran catcher hit 10-for-17 (.588) out of the 2-hole while factoring into eight of the Tide’s runs (5 RBI, 3R), with the 5-10, 165-pounder adding a walk, three sacrifice bunts, a pair of doubles and three stolen bases.
Bennett opened the week by batting 3-for-4 with an RBI double, sacrifice bunt and run scored in the big upset of Southern Miss. He then hit 7-for-13 in the series at Mississippi State (4 RBI, 2R, 3 SB). In the tense series opener, Bennett drove in a pair of runs (2-for-5; SAC) as the visiting Tide won 5-4 in 10 innings. A few hours later, Alabama clinched the series while winning by the same score – with Bennett’s 2-out RBI single tying the game in the 8th (and setting up the go-ahead/eventual winning run).
Alabama's Brock Bennett – a rare catcher batting out of the 2-hole - helped boost the Crimson Tide's NCAA resume during road wins at Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State (won 2-of-3), with his diverse stat line for the week including 10 hits, 5 RBI, 3 runs, 3 sac-bunts, 3 stolen bases, a walk and two doubles.
Following his 3-for-4 showing in game-2 (R, SAC, 2 SB), Bennett returned to Polk-DeMent Stadium the next day and again ranked as one of the team leaders, batting 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored, walk and another stolen base.
(Note that head shots and action photos are being added below for the other 11 honorees; full player info. also still to be added).
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.
CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL #11
(week of April 25-May 1, 2011 … presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)
“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”
Alabama – *Brock Bennett
Arizona State – Joey DeMichele
Clemson – Justin Sarratt
Florida Atlantic – Nick DelGuidice
Georgia – Levi Hyams
Hawaii – Sean Montplasir
Missouri – Blake Brown
Oklahoma – Dillon Overton
Oregon State – *Josh Osich
San Diego – Corey LeVier
South Florida – Randy Fontanez
Texas – Taylor Jungmann
Wichita State – Johnny Coy
(full release info. on all honorees still to-be-added)