FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-87-02-03
Monday, April 7, 2003

Etown's Mike Nocar Named Commonwealth Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week, Brad Duppstadt Named Conference Baseball Player of the Week

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior Mike Nocar (Lambertville, NJ/South Hunderton) has been named the Commonwealth Conference baseball Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 6, and classmate Brad Duppstadt (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) has been named the conference's baseball Player of the Week for the week ending April 6.

Nocar was a crucial element of Elizabethtown's key doubleheader sweep of defending conference champion Lebanon Valley Sunday. He appeared in relief in the first game, a 2-1 Etown win, and pitched the final 1-1/3 innings, allowing no hits and walks and striking out three. He got the win in that game as the Blue Jays scored both of their runs in the top of the seventh inning.

Nocar then started the second game of the doubleheader and improved to 4-0 on the season as Etown won 4-2. He pitched the first five innings of the second game, spreading six hits and three walks over that span while striking out four and allowing just two earned runs. Nocar also went one-for-two with a run, an RBI and a stolen base while playing right field in Friday's 9-8 nine-inning loss to Messiah, and he drew two walks in three plate appearances against Lebanon Valley in the first game Sunday before switching to the mound.

Thus far this season, Nocar is 4-0 with one save and a 2.29 ERA in six appearances on the mound. He has made three starts and pitched one complete game. In 19-2/3 innings of work, he has allowed just 17 hits, struck out 17 batters and walked nine. As a right fielder, Nocar is batting .273 in 33 at bats with eight runs scored, seven RBI, one double and one home run. He has also walked 10 times for a .432 on base percentage.

Duppstadt batted four-for-five and cranked out a home run and a double while driving in two runs and scoring two in Etown's 9-8 nine-inning loss to Messiah Friday. Duppstadt hit one-for-three with a double in Etown's 2-1 win in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against Lebanon Valley, and he drew a walk and scored a run in the Blue Jays' 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Thus far this season, Duppstadt, who has started all 16 of Etown's games in center field, is leading the team in batting with a .458 average. He has doubled five times and homered once for a .593 slugging percentage, and he has walked eight times for a .522 on base percentage. He is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 14, is second on the team in stolen bases with five, and is third among the Blue Jays in runs batted in with 11.

The Elizabethtown College baseball team is currently 11-5 overall with a 5-3 record in Commonwealth Conference play.