New Jersey City University

JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University junior centerfielder ROB SUMNER (Union, NJ/Union) had a remarkable, record-setting week for the Gothic Knights, and after batting .560 (14-25) with 14 RBIs, 10 runs, five homeruns and four doubles in six games, he has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week for Week 4 of the 2007 season and the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Division II/III Player of the Week.

 

For Sumner, who was named First-Team All-NJAC and Second-Team All-Region in 2006, it is the first time in his career that he has been selected the NJAC Player of the Week. It is the second time he has garnered NJCBA Player of the Week accolades, last receiving the distinction on March 14, 2006.

 

Sumner's award marks the second consecutive week that an NJCU outfielder has won both awards after teammate ANTHONY MACKOW (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) was honored on March 12. It is the first time in the history of the baseball program that the Gothic Knights have received the NJAC and NJCBA Player of the Week distinction in consecutive weeks.

 

Additionally, it is the first time since the 1999 season that NJCU has received the NJAC Player of the Week twice in the same season (Mark Pappas, Rick Pizzuti). It is also the first time the Knights have ever received the state Player of the Week award from the NJCBA twice in one season.

 

Sumner, NJCU's leadoff hitter, posted a .621 on-base percentage and a 1.320 slugging percentage at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, FL last week, and extended his hitting streak to 13 games dating back to last season.

 

He entered the week with four homeruns in two years, yet set NJCU records for homeruns in a week (5) and doubleheader (4), while also blasting a single-game school record three homeruns. He became the third player in NJCU history to score 100 career runs (107), and upped his career batting average to .409 and on-base percentage to .504. He also was 3-for-4 in steals and walked four times, while fielding at a 1.000 rate. He led off two games with homeruns.

 

He opened NJCU's 3-3 week, by going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a double and a steal in the Knights' 8-2 win over the University of Scranton on March 12. He was 2-for-4 with a run, steal and one RBI in a 10-7 loss to Haverford College on March 13.

 

In a doubleheader with Illinois College on March 14, he was 1-for-3 with a double, one run and a steal in a 5-2 loss in game one. In led off game two of the twinbill with a homer, finishing 4-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs and a double in the Knights 6-3 victory.

 

On March 15 in a 21-17 loss to Suffolk University, he led off his second consecutive game with a homerun, finishing 1-for-5 with a run and RBI.

 

In a 14-7 win over Finlandia University on March 15, Sumner set a single-game school record when he launched three homeruns, going 4-for-5 with seven RBIs, four runs and a double.

 

Through 10 games this season, Sumner is batting .541 (20-37) with 16 runs, five doubles, five homeruns, one triple and 15 RBIs. He has walked eight times and struck out on only three occasions, while stealing six bases in nine opportunities. He owns an astounding .622 on-base percentage, and a 1.135 slugging rate, with 42 total bases. He is also a perfect 17-for-17 defensively.