Lane, Blevins and Cox Named ASC Baseball Players of the Week
4/21/2015 9:03:49 AM
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: April 13-19, 2015
HITTER OF THE WEEK – Sam Lane, OF, Jr., Texas-Tyler
Junior outfielder Sam Lane (Plano, Texas/East HS) led the Patriots in a big 2-1 upset series win over No. 10/11 Concordia Texas. Lane led the team with a .429 batting average, six hits, four RBI and nine total bases. Lane also finished with two walks and a triple for the week and had a .643 slugging percentage.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Michael Blevins, RHP, Sr., Texas-Tyler
Senior pitcher Michael Blevins (Houston, Texas/Mayde Creek HS) was part of the record-breaking game against No. 10/11 Concordia Texas. Blevins pitched in relief for six total innings which tied him for most on the team for the week. In those six innings, Blevins struck out seven Tornado batters, walked just two and gave up no runs in picking up the win in the 16-inning marathon game.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Cameron Cox, Sr., RHP, Concordia Texas
Senior pitcher Cameron Cox (Round Rock, Texas/Stony Point HS) shut down one of the league's top hitting teams, as the right-hander hurled a four-hit shutout to lead the Tornados to a 3-0 win over Texas-Tyler in the middle game of the series. Cox struck out five and issued only one walk. He leads the nation with a 10-0 record, eight complete games and five shutouts, in addition to his 1.19 ERA. In his last eight starts, Cox is 8-0 with a 0.46 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings of action. He has allowed only five runs (three earned) during that span. Additionally, Cox has not allowed an extra-base hit in his last three starts.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE
Concordia Texas junior first baseman Connor Bertsch (Fayetteville, Texas/Fayetteville HS) hit .545 and slugged 1.000 in this past weekend's series with Texas-Tyler. Bertsch started the set just a triple away from the cycle. He was 4-for-5 with three walks, including one intentional, in the 16-inning marathon. Bertsch also hit his fifth home run of the season, with a three-run shot, to put Concordia up 5-2 in the fourth inning of that contest. He drove in five runs during the weekend and struck out only once.
Hardin-Simmons junior outfielder Jamie Ball (Morton, Miss./Morton HS) led the Cowboys to their first ASC series win with a productive series. He hit a two-run single in the seventh inning with two outs to give the Cowboys a 3-1 lead in the series deciding third game. Later in the top of the eighth with two outs and runners on second and third, he made a full out diving catch on a sinking liner to center that saved two runs.
Louisiana College senior outfielder Jermaine Liggins (Maben, Miss./East Webster HS) carried LC's offense on Saturday against Texas Dallas. Liggins went 5-for-7 in the final two games of the series with a home run, a triple, a double, two singles, four RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
Ozarks sophomore shortstop Andrew Beck (Conway, Ark./St. Joseph HS) homered, tripled and had two doubles during a three-game series against Hardin-Simmons. Beck finished 6-for-14 with four RBI and four runs. He posted a .928 slugging percentage.
Texas Dallas senior Pierce Fly (Boerne, Texas/Boerne HS) had two game-changing big hits as the Comets swept Louisiana College at home over the weekend. Fly hit a two-run home run, his first of the year, in the fifth inning to knot the game with the Wildcats (3-3) before teammate Brandon George knocked in the go-ahead run later in the frame. Fly ended the series with a bases-loaded walk-off double as the Comets rallied for a 4-3 win in the finale after trailing LC (3-1) heading into the ninth inning. Fly was 4-for-9 over the three games with four RBI and two runs scored and a sacrifice bunt.
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES ON THE MOUND
Hardin-Simmons senior pitcher Jason England (Azle, Texas/Azle HS) pitched a complete-game in a 10-2 win over Ozarks over two days. He retired 11 straight batters in the middle of the game and struck out six and walked none to snap HSU's three-game losing streak.
Ozarks senior pitcher John Singler (Muskogee, Okla./Muskogee HS) threw a complete game to receive a win against Hardin-Simmons. Singler went seven innings and was charged with just one earned run and issued only one walk.
Texas Dallas senior pitcher Tyler Dauer (San Antonio, Texas/Reagan HS) picked up his fifth win in six outings as he scattered seven hits in a complete-game win (4-3) over Louisiana College to open the weekend series. Dauer improved to 6-3 on the season as he recorded his fifth complete game of the year, one shy of the UTD record. He fanned five and issued two walks while giving up two earned runs in 9.0 innings of work.