Big South Announces Baseball Players of the Week - April 10
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Gardner-Webb’s
Alec Burns (Amherst, N.H.) has been named the Big South Baseball Player of the Week, while Campbell’s
Cade Kuehler (Waxhaw, N.C.) and the Runnin’ Bulldogs’
Bobby Alcock (Lynn, Mass.) are the Co-Starting Pitchers of the Week for games played April 3-9, it was announced today. In addition, the Camels’
Jackson Roberts (Greensboro, N.C.) was selected the Relief Pitcher of the Week, while USC Upstate’s
Mathieu Curtis (Tega Cay, S.C.) is the Freshman of the Week honoree.
In three games, Burns belted two home runs and batted .462 (6-13) with four runs, six RBI, a double and a walk. He also finished with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .533 on-base percentage while logging an extra-base hit and at least one RBI in all three contests. Burns opened the week going 3-4 with a home run, two runs and three RBI in a 13-3 win over USC Asheville in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday. Later that evening, he added a solo home run while going 2-5 at the plate with a run scored and one RBI. The Amherst, N.H. native then capped the week on Friday by going 1-4 with a run and two RBI, using a double to help spark a late rally as the Runnin’ Bulldogs went on to claim a series victory with an 11-9 win over Asheville.
Kuehler was dominant in his lone appearance last week as he pitched 6.0 innings of scoreless work, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out a career-high 13. After striking out the side to begin the day, he went on to strike out seven-straight batters from the fourth inning into the sixth inning while carrying a no-hitter through five full innings.
Alcock tossed a complete game in which he scattered just three hits and one earned run across 9.0 innings. The redshirt-junior struck out 11 batters and did not issue a single walk while limiting UNC Asheville to a .100 batting average on the day as Gardner-Webb raced to a 13-3 win at home over the Bulldogs.
Roberts logged 6.2 innings of relief in two appearances, allowing just one hit and one run while striking out a combined 10 batters. He opened the week by tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against Duke on Tuesday night. Roberts then earned his first-career win after inheriting and escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning Friday night, going on to strike out the side in the fifth before finishing out the game with eight strikeouts as Campbell beat Presbyterian on the road to win the series, 9-6.
Making his first-career weekend start, Curtis pitched 6.0 innings and allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out five to pick up the win. He faced the minimum with three punchouts through three innings before surrendering the only hit of the day against him in the fourth. He bounced back by retiring the next six batters in a row and exited with a two-run lead as USC Upstate went on to blank Longwood at home, 2-0.
Also nominated for Player of the Week:
Max Weller (Campbell),
Cael Chatham (High Point),
Drew Camp (Longwood),
Kyle Merkle (Presbyterian),
Robbie Burnett (UNC Asheville),
Grant Sherrod (USC Upstate) and
Ramses Cordova (Winthrop).
Also nominated for Starting Pitcher of the Week:
Gus Hughes (High Point),
Clay Edmondson (UNC Asheville) and
Reese Dutton (USC Upstate).
Also nominated for Relief Pitcher of the Week:
Reid Viar (High Point),
Dallas Hairfield (Longwood),
Justin Honeycutt (UNC Asheville),
Jake Cubbler (USC Upstate) and
Aaron White (Winthrop).
Also nominated for Freshman of the Week:
Jackson Roberts (Campbell),
Ethan Barnes (Longwood) and
Kyle Mueller (Presbyterian).