ONU Sweeps Games, Weekly Honors Behind Coursey, Gniedziejko

CHICAGO --- A weekend sweep on the diamond during the seven-day period ending April 5 has led to a sweep of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference weekly baseball honors for the Olivet Nazarene University program with Jude Coursey (Crawfordsville, Ind.) and Nicholas Gniedziejko (Chicago, Ill.) being bestowed the recognition, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Coursey wrapped up CCAC Player of the Week accolades after hitting .643 (9-for-14) and slugging at a 1.000 clip in four games on Friday and Saturday.  The latter mark came via a pair of doubles and one home run.  He also drove in six runs with two RBIs in three separate games.

The highlight of the freshman infielder's weekend was his perfect 4-for-4 game with one double in an 8-7 victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph on Friday.  He scored twice in that game and also drove in a pair of runs.

Coursey also delivered a pair of hits and drove in two runs in both the 7-2 first-game win on Friday and the 7-0 finale on Saturday.  The latter effort is where he notched his first collegiate home run, as well.

As for his defense, Coursey was perfect there, fielding all 15 of his chances cleanly.

Gniedziejko used his second shutout of the season to gain CCAC Pitcher of the Week recognition.  In the 7-0 win on Saturday, the senior right-hander allowed only three batters to reach base (two hits, one walk), while striking out 10 in the seven-inning contest.

Olivet Nazarene got back to the .500 mark overall (18-18), while improving to 14-8 in conference affairs with its 4-0 week.

Other Player Nominees: Bryce Vorwald (St. Ambrose), Nathan Faust (Viterbo), Ryan Louthan (St. Francis), Nick Mangano (Calumet St. Joseph), Allan Navarro (Judson), Nick Turner (Indiana South Bend), Shea Zbrozek (Saint Xavier).

Other Pitcher Nominees: Daniel Alworth (Judson), Nick Colker (Viterbo), Eddie Kicho (Calumet St. Joseph), Jack Otis (St. Francis), Thomas Plizga (Saint Xavier).