Courtesy of PGCBL.com
Ayrton Schafer (Samford) of the Elmira Pioneers and Andrew Saalfrank (Indiana) of the Amsterdam Mohawks have been named the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Week 8 of the 2017 season, as announced by the league office on Monday.
Schafer is the second Pioneer to claim the Player of the Week award in the past three weeks, with catcher Marshall Gilbert (John A. Logan) earning the recognition during Week 6. Over the week spanning July 24-30, Schafer registered a league-leading .542 batting average and was tied with Newark’s Hunter Wells (Tyler J.C.) for the most hits (13) despite playing in two less games. Of his 13 hits, the Samford University product collected two doubles and one run home to go along with his six runs and seven RBIs.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound outfielder had at least one hit in all six games last week, including four multi-hit outings. On July 25 against Onondaga, Schafer slugged his first home run of the summer, a three-run shot that helped him finish the contest with a season-high four RBIs. On July 27, he posted another 3-for-5 showing that helped Elmira earn a road win over the West Division-leading Jamestown Jammers. The Collierville, Tenn., native then picked up his third three-hit game of the week on July 29 in a tight 10-9 victory over Utica, in which he added two RBIs and one run to his weekly total.
In two appearances on the mound and a combined 9.0 innings of work, Amsterdam’s Saalfrank dominated. He gave up just two hits and walked three without surrendering a run, equaling a paltry .071 batting average against, a .56 WHIP and an unblemished 0.00 ERA. The southpaw was one of two PGCBL pitchers to win two games last week and finished in a two-way tie for the most strikeouts with 10.
The Hoagland, Ind., native first toed the rubber on July 25, when he twirled a gem with 7.0 shutout innings and seven strikeouts in Amsterdam’s 4-0 victory over Saugerties. He opened the game by retiring the first eight batters he faced, and was able to strand runners on base in both the third and fourth innings. Saalfrank’s second outing was his first out of the bullpen this summer, as he hurled 2.0 innings of hitless ball with three strikeouts in the Mohawks’ 17-4 win at Newark on July 30. If it wasn’t for an infield error in the sixth, his relief appearance would have ended with a pair of perfect frames.
Saalfrank is the second Pitcher of the Week honoree to come from Amsterdam, N.Y., this season, and his selection allows the Mohawks to remain tied with Elmira for the most weekly award winners in 2017 with four apiece.
2017 PGCBL Weekly Award Winners
Player of the Week
Week 1: Christ Conley (Canisius) – Jamestown Jammers
Week 2: Mikey Arman (Kenyon) – Geneva Red Wings
Week 3: T.J. Collett (Kentucky), Liam Wilson (Canisius) – Amsterdam Mohawks
Week 4: Collin Stack (UMBC) – Jamestown Jammers
Week 5: Devon Garcia (Ohio) – Utica Blue Sox
Week 6: Marshall Gilbert (John A. Logan) – Elmira Pioneers
Week 7: Joe Simone (Rider) – Adirondack Trail Blazers
Week 8: Ayrton Schafer (Samford) – Elmira Pioneers
Pitcher of the Week
Week 1: Brian Reed (RIT) – Geneva Red Wings
Week 2: Jake Hershman (Wofford) – Oneonta Outlaws
Week 3: Houston Roth (Ole Miss) – Elmira Pioneers
Week 4: Brandon Reitz (Florida State) – Amsterdam Mohawks
Week 5: Grant Donahue (Virginia) – Elmira Pioneers
Week 6: Jonathan McKinney (Southern Union State C.C.) – Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs
Week 7: Jason Wasilnak (St. John Fisher) – Oneonta Outlaws
Week 8: Andrew Saalfrank (Indiana) – Amsterdam Mohawks
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