SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Oral Roberts shortstop Mac McCroskey along with North Dakota State righthander Cade Feeney and Northern Colorado righthander Dylan Smith earned the latest TicketSmarter Summit League baseball weekly honors. McCroskey was named the Peak Performer of the Week, while Feeney and Smith shared the Peak Pitcher of the Week accolade, League officials announced Monday.
McCroskey helped the Golden Eagles to their third consecutive sweep to open League play by going 5-for-11 with three home runs and seven RBI against Omaha. It's his second weekly honor of the season.
In ORU's 5-4 win in the opener, the Springdale, Ark., native went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly. In game two, McCroskey belted a pair of home runs to lift the Golden Eagles to an 8-5 victory. He cut a 4-0 deficit in half with a two-run shot in the fourth, then broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth with a solo shot that started a three-run rally for the visitors. It marked his second multi-home run game of the season and third of his career.
McCroskey capped the series with a 2-for-5 effort in a 16-9 victory over the Mavericks. He doubled and scored in the fifth and delivered a three-run homer in the sixth inning. McCroskey now has eight home runs overall and is batting .394 in nine League games.
Feeney picked up his second weekly pitching honor in the last three weeks after limiting Texas Tech to just one run on four hits in NDSU's 8-1 upset of the Red Raiders, who entered the week ranked No. 19 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 and No. 22 in the DIBaseball.com Top 25.
Feeney struck out five and picked up his third consecutive win after opening the season 0-3. The Bismarck, N.D., native has given up just two earned runs over his last 19 innings pitched during the 3-0 stretch.
Smith turned in the best performance of his young career, blanking St. Thomas over eight innings of work to pick up his second win of the season. He earned the complete-game shutout after the Bears defeated the Tommies 10-0 in eight innings due to the mercy rule.
Smith yielded just four hits and walked one a day after the Tommies' offense put up 21 runs and 19 hits in a seven-inning victory over UNC. The Bakersfield, Calif., matched his season-high with six strikeouts.
Baseball Peak Performer of the Week
Mac McCroskey, Oral Roberts
RSr. | Shortstop | Springdale, Ark.
• Finished WIU series going 5-for-11 (.455) with three home runs and seven RBI as ORU moved to 9-0 in League play
• In game two of WIU series, went 2-for-5 with three RBI, including go-ahead home run in the eighth inning
• Registered second multi-home run game of his season in series finale vs. WIU
• Collected his second weekly honor of the season
Others Nominated: Druw Sackett (North Dakota State); Brigs Richartz (St. Thomas).
Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week
Cade Feeney, North Dakota State
Jr. | RHP | Bismarck, N.D.
• Limited No. 19/22 Texas Tech to just one run on four hits in NDSU's 8-1 upset of the Red Raiders
• Struck out five Red Raiders and has at least four strikeouts in each of his eight starts this season
• Won his third consecutive start and has yielded just two earned runs over 19 innings of work during that stretch
• Earned his second weekly honor in the last three weeks
Dylan Smith, Northern Colorado
Fr. | RHP | Bakersfield, Calif.
• Tossed the second complete game shutout of the season by a Summit League pitcher in a 10-0 win over St. Thomas
• Allowed just four hits and one walk to a Tommies' offense that put up 21 runs and 19 hits the day before
• Matched his season-high with six strikeouts en route to his second win of the season
• Earned the first weekly award of his career
Others Nominated: Brooks Fowler (Oral Roberts); Duke Coborn (St. Thomas).
2023 Baseball Weekly Award Winners
February 20
Peak Performer of the Week: Mac McCroskey, Oral Roberts
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Jakob Hall, Oral Roberts
February 27
Peak Performer of the Week: Nick Mitchell, Western Illinois
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Cade Denton, Oral Roberts
March 6
Peak Performer of the Week: Mike Boeve, Omaha
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Brooks Fowler, Oral Roberts
March 13
Peak Performer of the Week: Nick Mitchell, Western Illinois
Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week: Caleb Riedel, Omaha
Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week: Tristen Roehrich, North Dakota State
March 20
Peak Performer of the Week: Matt Hogan, Oral Roberts
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Jake Goble, South Dakota State
March 27
Peak Performer of the Week: Caden Wagner, Northern Colorado
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Cade Feeney, North Dakota State
April 3
Peak Performer of the Week: Matt Hogan, Oral Roberts
Peak Pitcher of the Week: Preston Tenney, Omaha
April 10
Peak Performer of the Week: Mac McCroskey, Oral Roberts
Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week: Cade Feeney, North Dakota State
Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week: Dylan Smith, Northern Colorado
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