May 1, 2002
April Award Winners
Kiwi Batter of the Month: Zachariah Atteridge (Taranaki, 3B) had a great month with the bat while the Taranaki Bulls fell short of qualifying for the playoffs. He batted .326 with 5 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Yen Ouwerkerk (Otago) gets recognised for the first time this season. The closer has been dominating the Saves stat this season. He's 12 saves clear of his next competition. During April, he threw 16.2 innings, collected 11 saves, got 22 strikeouts, and a 0.54 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Callum Macdonald (Wellington, SS) -- the 30 year old rookie picks up his second Rookie of the Month award. He hit 5 home runs, picked up 19 RBIs, and scored 22 runs. His 32 hits and 17 walks got him a .389 on-base percentage.
Kangaroo Batter of the Month: Jai Bansfield (Bendigo, RF), with the Gold Rush out of the playoff hunt, Bansfield has started to put in his best. During April he averaged .461, drove in 15 runs, scored 21 times, and compiled a .496 on-base percentage.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Seb Lapthorne (Melbourne), another player suddenly putting in his best work while at the bottom of the table. The Sting Closer, nicknamed "Mongoose", collected 5 saves and 18 strikeouts over 20.1 innings. He held the opposition to a .219 average and collected a 0.00 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Tye Lapthorne (Tasmania, RF) -- that's his fifth Rookie of the Month folks. During April, he picked up a .333 average, with 32 hits, 6 home runs and 23 RBIs. His most memorable moment came early in the month when he hit a grand slam against Adelaide.
A repeat of yesterday's games sees Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago all go to 93-74 with one game to go.
The Hawks and Firebirds pick up one run wins to keep the mad race for the final playoff spot alive. They are both 81-86 and only one of them can go to the playoffs. 1 game to go.
Finally, Wellington's MVP candidate Senri van Oosten got himself suspended for 3 games -- his second suspension of the year.
