Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

RICHMOND, Va. – University of Delaware freshman ace Rich O’Donald has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week for the second time after piecing together a great performance on Sunday against Hofstra.

During the second game of the Blue Hens’ doubleheader against the Pride, O’Donald fired a five-hit shutout to pick up his fourth win of the season. It marked his second nine-inning complete game of the season after also tossing one against Old Dominion on March 29.

Against Hofstra, he struck out a season-high eight batters while allowing just four runners to reach scoring position, one of which he immediately picked off. He also retired the side in order on five occasions, including in each of the first four innings.

His performance marked the first nine-inning shutout by a Blue Hen since Jason Vincent twirled one in the 2001 America East Championship game.

O’Donald’s stellar start against Hofstra marked his third straight solid outing. Along with his two complete game efforts, he also tossed eight strong innings against Georgia State last week.

Following his first career start, O’Donald has now fired at least six innings in each of his next six appearances, including eight or more in four of his last five starts.

On the season, O’Donald ranks second on the team with a 3.78 ERA and 50.0 innings pitched. He also is tied for first with four wins and leads all starters with a .217 batting average against.

The honor is the third weekly conference award for O’Donald. Along with his two Rookie of the Week selections, he was also named the CAA’s top pitcher after tossing eight scoreless innings against Marist.

In addition to O’Donald, the conference office selected James Madison’s Trevor Knight as the Player of the Week, while George Mason’s Kevin Crum was honored as the top pitcher.