Monday, March 06, 2006

Macon, Ga. – UNF’s Matt Oxendine helped lead the Ospreys to their first A-Sun series victory while Belmont’s Charles Lee has sparked a five-game Belmont winning streak on their way to earning Atlantic Sun Player and Pitcher of the Week honors as announced by the league office.

Oxendine went 5-for-10 (.500) with a pair of doubles and three RBI’s as UNF made a big splash on the A-Sun baseball scene this weekend by taking two of three from defending tournament champion Stetson. The Ospreys overcame a case of jitters in game one to take the final two games in their first A-Sun weekend series. Oxendine scored a pair of runs in the series opener and capped the weekend with a 2-for-4 effort and three RBI’s to hand UNF the decisive finale. The senior from Wellington, Fla., raised his batting average 55 points during the weekend and more than tripled his RBI total for the season. The shortstop is majoring in Sports Management.

Lee hurled the league’s second complete game shutout of the season, baffling visiting Bradley in a 7-0 Belmont victory. The right-hander surrendered just three hits, all singles, while fanning a season-best eight batters to help the Bruins take the series opener on their way to a four-game sweep of the Braves. For the year, the Brentwood, Tenn., native is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA. He has struck-out 18 batters while giving up just two walks in 26.0 innings of work. Lee is majoring in accounting.

The award is the first for both players.

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
• Brantley New, Mercer (Jr. – RHP – Dublin, Ga. – Business Major)
Tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in no-decision at UAB to lower ERA to 1.55

• Mike Priest, Campbell (Sr. – 1B – Vernon Hill, Va. – Biology Major)
Extended hitting streak to nine-games; posted 2 HR-game vs Appalachian State

• Ovy Ramirez, Florida Atlantic (Jr. – IF – Miami, Fla. – Social Science Major)
Went 6-for-13 with three RBI’s in three-game set with No. 21 TCU

• Chris Johnson, Stetson (So. – IF – Ft. Myers, Fla. – Sports Management Major)
Batted .500 in A-Sun opening series with UNF