Baseball

ASC Baseball Players of the Week (3) | Finn and Estrada

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: February 20; 23-24, 2024
 
HITTER OF THE WEEK – Luke Finn, RF, Sr., UT Dallas
UT Dallas senior right fielder Luke Finn (Lucas, Texas) continued his torrid streak to open the season by hitting .556 (10-for-18) with 13 runs scored, a double, four home runs, six RBI and three stolen bases as the Comets went 3-1 on the week. He recorded at least two hits and three runs in all four games, highlighted by a 4-for-5, two-home run performance in Saturday's 10-4 win at Hardin-Simmons. Finn hit a home run in all three games against the Cowboys and now has seven in seven games this season, while scoring 19 runs. This is his second ASC Hitter of the Week honor in a row.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jake Estrada, RHP, So., Ozarks
Ozarks sophomore right-handed pitcher Jake Estrada (West Covina, Calif.) scattered four hits over five innings and struck out six to lead the Eagles to a 3-2 win against LeTourneau and ensure a series win by winning the first two contests of the series. Estrada kept the YellowJackets off the board through five innings and allowed two hits. A run was charged to him in the sixth as he faced three batters before being relieved in a seven-inning game.
 
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE
East Texas Baptist outfielder graduate student Brett Wagner (Lake Jackson, Texas) batted .462 in a three-game sweep of Sul Ross State with 10 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 home run, and no strikeouts in 13 at-bats. In the 18-0 win over SRSU in game 1, he had 5 RBI with a home run going 3-of-4 with four runs scored. He posted 4 RBI in the first inning with two at-bats with a single and a 3-run home run. In game two, he posted 3 RBI with a double and game three had 2 RBI and a double. He also walked only once in his 13 at-bats and had one sacrifice fly.
 
LeTourneau junior designated hitter Xander Nabors (Conroe, Texas) hit .700 (7-for-10) with five RBIs and three runs scored in a series vs. Ozarks. He tied a program record with five hits in game three as he went 5-for-5 with a double, three RBIs, and two runs scored in a 13-10 victory. In the series opener, he was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior infielder Rhett Grosz (Hewitt, Texas) helped lead the Cru to a three-game sweep over Concordia Texas, recording a 0.769 slug percentage. He went 7 for 13 on the weekend with a 0.538 batting average. Grosz scored two runs while driving in six more, highlighted by a three RBI game Friday night. He also recorded a double in each game and stole two bases.
 
Ozarks junior right-fielder/catcher Brice Cagle (Sherwood, Ark.) helped the Eagles win the series against LeTourneau by hitting .545 with a homer and four RBI. Cagle had three hits in game one,
two hits in game two and blasted a homer in game three. In game one, Cagle delivered the game-winning hit in the ninth with an RBI single through the infield. His seventh-inning RBI single in game two proved to be the game-winning hit as the Eagles won 3-2.
 
Howard Payne senior right fielder Tanner Benson (Frisco, Texas) drove in seven RBI across three games to help lead the Yellow Jackets to a 2-1 record versus McMurry this weekend. Benson hit 2-of-4 with a double and a grand slam in the 10-8 game one victory. He posted a .647 slugging percentage and totaled two doubles and a stolen base across three games.
 
Concordia Texas senior catcher Efren Sanchez Jr. (Georgetown, Texas) continued his hot
start at the plate this season. He went 6-12 at bat with a .500 SLUG and .538 on base percentage. He collected six hits, four RBIs, one run & a walk in the three-game series at UMHB last weekend. He posted a game-high three hits and two RBI in game one. In game two, he added a hit and a run scored. He capped off the series with two hits, two RBI and a walk.

McMurry junior centerfielder Koy Carpenter (La Vernia, Texas) batted over .500 in the series against Howard Payne, scoring eight times in the three-game span. Koy also walked four times and hit a triple and had an RBI.
 
OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES ON THE MOUND
UT Dallas junior right-hander Dylan Collins (Fairview, Texas) picked up his first victory as a Comet, fanning six batters over seven innings in Friday's 11-1 win at Hardin-Simmons. He allowed just one walk, one run and six hits while holding the Cowboys to a .222 average.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor senior left-handed pitcher Rahul Champaneri (Mundelein, Ill.) earned the win for the Cru, throwing six innings for a 1.50 ERA in game two against Concordia Texas. He allowed one earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts, as UMHB swept CTX and remained perfect on the campaign at 6-0.
 
East Texas Baptist graduate student Sayers Collins (Frisco, Texas) has now pitched 12 straight scoreless innings in his first two outings of 2024. On Friday, he pitched five innings of the seven inning 18-0 win over Sul Ross State allowing just two hits and striking out 6 batters. He retired the side in the first, third, and fourth innings.
 
Howard Payne senior relief pitcher Anthony Cook (Brady, Texas) was instrumental in the two wins over McMurry this past week. Cook came in with 0 outs and the bases loaded and was able to force three straight outs to get out of the inning, helping HPU defeat McMurry 19-18. He pitched three innings over the two games, not allowing a single hit and notching four punch outs.
 
McMurry junior right-handed pitcher Bryson Morrill (Trophy Club, Texas) picked up the win for the War Hawks 1-2 series to open ASC play at Howard Payne. Morrill logged 2.1 innings and did not allow a run. He yielded two hits, struck out one, and walked none, as the War Hawks found the go-ahead run to prevail 3-2.
 
LeTourneau junior left-handed pitcher Aman Patel (Missouri City, Texas) had a solid start in a narrow, 3-2, loss to Ozarks in game two of the series. Patel went five innings and allowed just one earned run while scattering six hits and striking out four.