College of the Ozarks junior third baseman Jay Kaufman and Fisher College junior pitcher Zack LeBlanc earned the Association of Independent Institutions' Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards after having strong performances against opposing teams that are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll.

Kaufman had a big week for the Bobcats, going 9-for-20 (.450 batting average) in five games. Among those nine hits were five doubles and one home run – helping him bring home nine runs, while also scoring two runs himself.

The Forsyth, Mo., native did most of his damage over the weekend, driving in eight runs as the team won three of four games against William Woods University (Mo.), a team receiving votes in the NAIA poll.

LeBlanc went 2-0 with a complete-game victory against No. 22-ranked Point Park University (Pa.) last Monday. For the week, he allowed one earned run over 14 innings, with 18 strikeouts and two walks.

Against Point Park, the Salem, Mass., native struck out five batters. Then, LeBlanc had 13 strikeouts, with no walks, over seven innings in a victory against Rivier University (N.H.).

Published by the A.I.I.