Monday, February 13, 2006

Macon, Ga. – ETSU’s Jeremy Hall and Gardner-Webb’s Matt Maloney received Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week honors respectively as announced by the league office.

Hall pitched six innings of one-hit, shutout ball against tenth-ranked Missouri. Picking up his first win of the season, Hall struck out six batters, and held the #10 Tigers to a .053 batting average in the 3-2 Buccaneer victory on Thursday afternoon. The senior had to work out of a bases loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the Tigers loaded the bases, Hall induced a pop-up to shortstop followed by a strikeout to extinguish Missouri’s rally. The right-hander would go on to hold Missouri hitless through the first five frames on his way to handing the Tigers their first opening day loss since 2002. Hall, a native of Gray, Tenn., majors in Sport Management

Maloney picked up where he left off after a sizzling finish to the 2005 season, going 6-for-12 on the week (.500) with three RBI and two runs scored in Gardner-Webb’s 3-0 start against Delaware State. In the opener, Maloney went 3-for-5 with the game-winning RBI, laying down a bunt single in the bottom of the seventh to plate Joey Testa for a 4-3 win in a cold (43 degrees) opener in Boiling Springs. In the series’ second game, Maloney homered in the bottom of the first and finished 2-for-3 with a run and RBI in what wound up a 9-3 win for Gardner-Webb. He went 1-for-4 with a run and RBI in the finale, helping spark an eight-run first inning. Maloney added an outfield assist in the nightcap as well, helping to preserve a 9-7 win after the Bulldogs committed three fielding errors as a team in the final two innings of another freezing (38 degrees) game. The Auburndale, Fla., native is a Sociology major.

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
• Tim Thomas, Gardner-Webb (Jr. – RHP – Lake Mary, Fla. – Social Science Major)
Picked up a win and a save during GWU’s season-opening sweep of Delaware State

• Mike McCallister, Jacksonville (Jr. - OF – Green Cove Springs, Fla. – Marketing Major)
Blasted a pair of homers to give JU series finale victory over Bethune-Cookman