Date Posted: 4/24/2006

Macon, Ga. – Mercer’s Mike Armstrong and Stetson’s Corey Kluber led their respective teams to important conference series sweeps last weekend to earn Atlantic Sun Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Armstrong proved to be a huge catalyst in Mercer’s three-game sweep of Gardner-Webb. The sophomore designated hitter racked up seven RBIs while hitting 6-for-12 during the series. The Evans, Ga., native added a pair of homers, three doubles and four runs as the Bears outscored the Bulldogs 30-10 to vault back into sole possession of the conference lead. Since dropping two of three games to UNF at home, Mercer has won eight of their last nine A-Sun contests including consecutive sweeps of ETSU and Gardner-Webb. Armstrong leads the team with his .400 batting average, the second-best mark in the conference, and has added six homers. Armstrong is majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

After allowing an unearned run in the top of the first inning, Kluber dominated the rest of Stetson’s 11-1 victory over Campbell. The right-hander scattered three singles over the final six innings of a game shortened by the A-Sun’s 10-run rule in doubleheaders. Just one Camel reached second base after the first inning as Kluber recorded Stetson’s first complete game in two years, improving to 5-1 on the season. The Coppell, Texas native needed just 85 pitches to work his way through the seven inning affair. The Hatters have won 13 of their last 15 games, highlighted by series sweeps of Campbell and Belmont to move from last to fourth in the conference standings.

The Atlantic Sun Conference hands out Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week awards weekly during the 2006 baseball campaign.

The 11-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., consists of Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Florida Atlantic, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, North Florida and Stetson.

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
• Blake Quarles, Mercer (Jr. – LHP – Augusta, Ga. – Biology Major)
Needed just 98 pitches to record his first career complete game victory over Gardner-Webb

• Jacob Robbins, Kennesaw State (Fr. – SS – Calhoun, Ga. – Business Major)
Racked up a .643 (9-for-13) batting average in four games for KSU

• Josh Moffitt, Belmont (So. – RHP – Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Math & Physics Major)
Fanned a career-high 11 batters in complete game win over FAU

• Daniel Murphy, Jacksonville (Jr. – IF – Jacksonville, Fla. – Business Major)
Drove in a team-best five runs in series victory over ETSU

• Mike Crotta, Florida Atlantic (Jr. – RHP – Palm City, Fla. – Business Major)
Earned a win and a save in 6.2 innings of relief versus Belmont