Nicks, Bontempo earn weekly NSAA honors
Derik Bontempo named NSAA Player of the Week. Todd Nicks earns NSAA Pitcher of the Week honors.
2017 Schedule
2017 Roster
NSAA Standings
MADISON, S.D. – The Bellevue University baseball team swept the first edition of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Baseball weekly honors, announced by the conference office Monday. Derik Bontempo was selected as the NSAA Player-of-the-Week, while Todd Nicks earned NSAA Pitcher-of-the-Week honors.
Bontempo anchored the Bruin lineup with a strong week, recording a .397 batting average and .870 slugging percentage in helping the Bruins to a perfect 7-0 record. He recorded at least one hit in all seven games, scored a run in six of seven games and produced at least one RBI in five of seven contests. Bontempo had an extra-base hit in all seven games with five doubles and two home runs. He scored eight runs and drove in 10 runs for the week.
Nicks was brilliant on the pitching mound as he earned a pair of victories in both of his starts during the week, including the championship game of the Warner (Fla.) Invitational against St. Francis (Ill.) and against No. 15-ranked Keiser (Fla.). He totaled 13 1/3 innings, and struck out a total of 16 batters (9 strikeouts versus Keiser and 7 strikeouts versus St. Francis) and issued only one walk. In allowing only a pair of unearned runs on nine hits, Nicks posted a 0.00 earned run average (ERA) and limited opponents to just a .170 batting average.
The Bruins are currently ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA National Top 25 Poll. Bellevue (14-6/0-0 NSAA) returns to action on Friday, March 17 when they travel to Orange City, Iowa for a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Northwestern College.