Big South Announces Baseball Players of the Week - March 4
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (
www.BigSouthSports.com) – Gardner-Webb infielder/designated hitter
Dale Francis Jr. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) has been named the Big South Baseball Player of the Week, while UNC Asheville’s
Clay Edmondson (Greensboro, N.C.) is the Starting Pitcher of the Week for games played Feb. 24-March 2, it was announced today. In addition, Charleston Southern’s
Kyle Lewis (Ashburn, Va.) was selected as the Relief Pitcher of the Week, while Longwood’s
Mac Tufts (Mendham, N.J.) is the Freshman of the Week honoree.
Francis Jr. batted .667 (10-for-15) with five home runs and 16 RBI in a historic week, highlighted by a four-homer, 12-RBI performance in Gardner-Webb’s 16-14 win over Appalachian State on Saturday. After hitting a pair of two-run homers, a three-run blast, and a grand slam, he was intentionally walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a one-run game. He posted a 1.733 slugging percentage and scored seven runs during the week, while also becoming the 15th college baseball player to hit four or more home runs in a single game since single-game stat tracking in the NCAA began in 2012. A redshirt senior, Francis Jr. went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored at South Carolina to kickstart the week. He then opened the weekend series at App State with a two-run homer on Friday prior to his four-homer outburst the following day. He finally capped off the week on Sunday going 1-for-3 with an RBI single.
Edmondson moved to 2-0 on the season, matching a career-high with 7.0 innings pitched while allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with a career-high eight strikeouts and zero walks against Stonehill. He tallied five straight scoreless frames to start the game and helped UNC Asheville notch the three-game series sweep, winning by two following his performance on the hill, 7-5.
Lewis threw on Saturday and shut the door on the Bellarmine offense that averaged over nine runs per game across the weekend. He entered the game in the sixth with the Charleston Southern lead reduced to 10-8 and with runners on first and third with two outs. He struck out the batter to preserve the lead and kept them off the board for his 3.1 frames of work, allowing just one hit and one walk, picking up the save and helping CSU clinch the weekend series and push the team to 8-1 for the first time in program history.
Tufts hit .500 (8-for-16) and sported a .571 on-base percentage for Longwood. He also stole two bases and was flawless on defense with 15 assists and nine putouts at second base. He hit safely in all four games on the weekend, twice going 3-for-3 at the dish. In the team's win over UAlbany, he was 3-for-3 with two runs, two steals, three RBI and a double. He also racked up three doubles in the series finale, going 3-for-3 once again with two runs scored and two RBI. Tufts combined to score five runs in the weekend series while adding five RBI.