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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending April 4, today. Virginia Tech junior utility player Austin Wates was named National Hitter of the Week, while South Florida junior left-handed pitcher Andrew Barbosa was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Wates was the Hokies’ offensive leader during a 4-1 week that saw them defeat No. 29 VMI, East Tennessee State (a team that was receiving votes in the coaches’ poll) and No. 4 Florida State twice. The junior led or tied for the team-lead in nearly every offensive category. The Richmond, Va., native tallied a career-high five RBIs against ETSU, and went 4-for-5 with three RBI in a Friday night win over FSU, the Hokies’ first win in Tallahassee since 1989. For the week, he hit .476 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI. Five of his 10 hits went for extra bases, and he scored eight runs.

Wates was also named the ACC Player of the Week and the Virginia Tech Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

Pro-Line Athletic, owned by Badger Sport, supplies caps and uniforms to several D-1 college baseball teams and this is the sixth season Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA’s Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line and Badger, visit their web sites at: www.badgersport.com and www.prolinecap.com

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Baseball).