Big South Announces Baseball Players of the Week - May 20

Big South Announces Baseball Players of the Week - May 20

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Presbyterian College outfielder Joel Dragoo (Beckville, Texas) and Radford infielder Zack Whitacre (Short Gap, W.Va.) have been named the Big South Baseball Co-Players of the Week, while Presbyterian’s Daniel Eagen (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) is the Starting Pitcher of the Week for games played May 13-19, it was announced today. In addition, USC Upstate’s Cooper Ellingworth (Orlando, Fla.) was selected as the Relief Pitcher of the Week while Radford’s Breckin Nace (Forest, Va.) is the Freshman of the Week honoree.
 
Dragoo slashed .500/.688/1.000 in leading Presbyterian to a sweep of UNC Asheville to clinch the team’s first outright league regular-season title. He went 5-10 at the plate with seven RBI, four runs scored, one home run and two doubles. He also drew five walks, including four intentional walks. Dragoo opened the week going 3-3 with five RBI and two runs. He homered, doubled and walked twice. He doubled again in the second game, driving in another two while scoring once, and was intentionally walked three times. He then closed the series with a single and a run scored to cap off the regular season by reaching base safely in all 54 games.
 
Whitacre batted .500 (9-18) and led the league with nine hits in four games for Radford. He added five runs, three RBI, one home run and two doubles while also stealing two bases and drawing three walks. Whitacre posted three-straight multi-hit performances in the Highlanders’ final conference series against Longwood, including back-to-back three-hit games to end the season. He went 2-4 with a double, RBI and run scored in the series opener, then went 3-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a stolen base in Radford’s 6-4 victory in game two. The Short Gap, W.Va. native ultimately closed out the season going 3-6 at the dish with another double, RBI and two runs scored. 
 
Eagen pitched 8.2 innings before allowing a hit in Presbyterian’s lopsided victory over UNC Asheville in Thursday’s series opener. He struck out nine and walked two en route to picking up the win. The right-hander struck out at least one batter in each of his first seven innings on the mound, and he was one out away from a no-hitter before a double to center field ended his day. Overall, Eagen held opposing batters to a mere .037 average against him, while his 8.2 innings of work marks the longest outing of his career. 
 
Ellingworth tossed a career-long 5.0 innings, striking out a career-high eight as part of a combined shutout versus UNC Greensboro. He permitted four baserunners (three hits and one walk) over his 5.0 innings. The right-hander took over in the fourth inning and picked up a pair of punchouts, ending the inning by stranding the only runner to reach scoring position against him. He picked off a runner in the fifth before striking out the side in the sixth, and he racked up another pair of strikeouts in the seventh and one in the eighth to conclude his outing. Overall, Ellingworth posted a .176 opponent batting average.
 
Nace batted .417 (5-12) with three RBI, three runs and four doubles in the three games he stepped to the plate for Radford. He also walked twice, including once in the nonconference game against VMI on Tuesday. Nace showed out in the final two games of the series against Longwood. He went 2-3 with two runs, one RBI, one double and a walk in game two, followed by a 3-6 performance with one run and two RBI in Friday's season finale. All three of those hits Friday night went for doubles.
 
Also nominated for Player of the Week: Alec Burns (Gardner-Webb), Noah Campanelli (Longwood) and Daniel Gernon (USC Upstate).
 
Also nominated for Starting Pitcher of the Week: Parker Dixon (Gardner-Webb) and Scott Rouse (Radford). 
 
Also nominated for Relief Pitcher of the Week: CJ Czerwinski (Gardner-Webb), Dominick D’Ercole (Longwood), Sean Hollister (Presbyterian) and Drew Stanley (Radford).
 
Also nominated for Freshman of the Week: Parker Dixon (Gardner-Webb), Blagen Pado (Longwood), Tristan McGregor (Presbyterian) and Cooper Ellingworth (USC Upstate).