Monday, March 20, 2006

MACON, Ga. – Campbell’s Mike Priest and Stetson’s Nathan Nery join a growing list of first-time student-athletes to earn the league’s weekly Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Priest was 8-for-17 (.471) over the week and extended his hit streak to 19 games, the longest active streak in the A-Sun. In the second game of a Friday night doubleheader with Jacksonville, the Vernon Hill, Va., native led off his 3-for-6 performance with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to propel the Camels. Against the Dolphins on Saturday, Priest was 2-for-2 and reached base safely all six times he came to the plate (three walks, one hit by pitch) as the Camels rallied to beat Jacksonville 15-6 at Taylor Field. Priest scored nine runs in four games for the Fighting Camels, matching a career-high with three runs scored in three separate games. In the final two games of the weekend series, the senior first baseman reached base nine times in 12 plate appearances, scoring six times as Campbell took the last two games versus JU to win their first conference series of the season. Priest leads the A-Sun with his .695 slugging percentage and six homers while also being one of four A-Sun players posting a better than .400 average. Priest is majoring in Biology.

Nery tossed eight shutout innings in Stetson's 6-0 win versus visiting Yale last Tuesday. The junior southpaw allowed only five hits, walked three, and struck out seven, and did not allow a runner past second base. He struck out the side in the second inning and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The eight innings of work tied a career-high for the Moon Township, Pa., native. In his last two starts, Nery is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA. Nery is majoring in General Business.

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
• Chris Johnson, Stetson (So. – OF – Fort Myers, Fla. – Sports Management Major)
Hit .600 with nine RBI in four games including career-high six RBI in series finale with Mercer

• Justin Aughey, ETSU (Jr. – C – Davie, Fla. – Sports Management Major)
Delivered game-winning hits in back-to-back games to lift ETSU to series win over UNF

• Ovy Ramirez, Florida Atlantic (Jr. – DH/1B – Miami, Fla. – Social Science Major)
Drove in eight runs and blasted two HR’s during FAU’s 4-1 week.

• Brantley New, Mercer (Jr. – RHP – Dublin, Ga. – Social Science Major)
Picked up team-leading fourth win to help keep Mercer atop A-Sun standings.