Top Performers: Week 12

Illinois' Casey Fletcher found the perfect way to cap off the best week of baseball in his life. Fletcher poked a game-winning two-run single the opposite way with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for his second walk-off hit in as many days on Sunday against Michigan State. Illinois overcame an 8-3 deficit with four runs in the seventh and three in the ninth to win 10-9, marking the third one-run comeback victory in the weekend series. Fletcher turned in a phenomenal week, beginning with three home runs against Southern Illinois on Wednesday. He followed it with two homers and a walk-off RBI single on Saturday before being clutch again on Sunday. The Illini right fielder hit .471 (8-for-17) with two walk-off winners, five home runs and 10 RBI to lead Illinois to four wins.

 

Oregon State's Jace Fry was dominating in the Beavers’ 5-0 win Sunday, holding California to just one hit – a third-inning single by Vince Bruno – in striking out six for his third complete-game shutout of the season, and fourth of his career. He needed just 98 pitches for the complete-game effort, which was finished in a swift hour and 55 minutes. He has a 9-1 record with a 1.59 earned run average in 12 starts. In conference games, he’s been even more dominating, posting a 6-1 mark with a 0.98 ERA. Pac-12 foes are batting just .146 against him.

Binghamton's Daniel Nevares hit .471 and belted three home runs and produced six extra-base hits and 11 RBI in three-game series against UMass-Lowell, flirting with hitting for the cycle twice on the weekend. He hit two home runs and drove in five in the Bearcats’ 10-6 Game 1 win. Nevares then hit a bases-clearing triple, a two-run home run and had a career-high six RBI in the 7-3 rubber game win on Sunday, celebrating Senior Day in style. Earlier in the week he drove in a run in BU’s 10-9 win at Siena. He is hitting .390 (16-for-41) with 16 RBI in his last 10 games. The two-time first team all-conference player leads the America East in slugging (.496) and ranks fourth in home runs (4), fifth in doubles (11) and seventh in RBI (28). Binghamton has won nine of its last 11 games.

Maryland's Jake Stinnett tossed a complete-game shutout with 13 strikeouts in the Terps’ 2-0 win against Notre Dame Friday. Stinnett struck out 13 batters, one shy of his career high, en route to his conference-leading fourth complete game of the season and second shutout of the year. Stinnett has now struck out 10 or more batters in three consecutive games and in five of his 12 starts this season. He increased his season strikeout total to 107 against the Fighting Irish. That mark leads the ACC and is the third-highest single-season total in school history. Steve Schmoll holds the single-season school record with 124 in 2003. On the season, Stinnett has posted a 2.63 ERA in 89 innings of work and is averaging 10.8 strikeouts-per-nine innings while holding opposing hitters to a .178 batting average, the fourth-lowest average in the ACC.

NC State's Trea Turner hit .818 with an .867 on-base percentage to lead the Wolfpack to a sweep of Coastal Carolina. The junior started the weekend by reaching base safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances, and was only put out twice the entire series. He finished the three-game set slugging 1.364 with 11 runs, nine hits, three RBI, three extra-base hits, and four walks. A native of Lake Worth, Fla., Turner was a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases including a steal of home. On Saturday, he had four steals for his third career game with at least four. On Sunday, he was a double shy of hitting for the cycle when he was intentionally walked in the eighth inning.