Monday, March 24, 2008

MACON, Ga. – Kennesaw State’s Justin Freeman dominated the Belmont lineup on Friday with an Atlantic Sun-best 13 strikeouts while Florida Gulf Coast’s Ozzie Borrell hammered Bethune-Cookman’s and Mercer’s pitching throughout the week as the pair won the Pitcher of the Week award and the Player of the Week award, the conference office announced on Monday.

Freeman, a junior from Macon, Ga., pitched first complete game of the season for Kennesaw State in a 4-2 win against Belmont in the final game of series. The sports management major threw 134 pitches and struck out 13 batters in the win. The 13 punch outs established a Kennesaw State Division I record and set the high mark for an Atlantic Sun pitcher for 2008. Three days prior to tossing his masterpiece, Freeman made a relief appearance against No. 17 Georgia Tech and struck out the side while allowing just one hit in one inning of work. For the season, Freeman ranks second in the Atlantic Sun in opponents batting average, .211, and tied for second in strikeouts with 34. He owns a top-10 ERA in the league, 3.07, seventh among pitchers to have started at least one game.

Borrell, a senior from Hialeah, Fla., led the Eagles to a 4-1 record including a sweep of Mercer in the A-Sun series of the week, moving the Eagles into sole possession of first place, two games ahead of their nearest competitor. Borrell hit .591 (13-for-22) and drove in nine runs while slugging .955. He also scored seven times and accumulated an on base percentage of .640 in the five games. Borrell, a criminal justice major, played a pair of positions (right field and third base) during the week. Borrell sits in the top five in the conference in RBI (tied for second, 26), total bases (second, 60) and hits (fifth, 35).

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Justin Bass, STET (OF – Sr. – DeLand, Fla. – Sports Management)
Hit .529 for the week (9-for-17) with five RBI and six runs; played four positions during the week

J.J Crumbley, FGCU (RP – Sr. – Tampa, Fla. – Business Administration)
In two relief appearances went 1-0 in 7.1 IP, posting a 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts.

Justin Lilly, CAM (SP – Sr. – Raleigh, N.C. – Business Administration)
Threw 8.1 innings (tied career high) in 9-3 win vs Stetson; struck out three and allowed three runs

Josh Means, ETSU (SP – Fr. – Kennesaw, Ga. – Undeclared)
Threw a complete game against Jacksonville, allowing one earned run while striking out six.

Troy Mendez, ETSU (RF – Jr. – Roswell, Ga. – Business)
Hit .444 with two HR, seven RBI and an .889 slugging percentage; led ETSU to sweep of Jacksonville

Nick Pugliese, STET (SP – Sr. – Deltona, Fla. – Sports Management)
Pitched complete game vs Campbell; allowed one run and struck out five.

Casey Rivers, UPST (2B – Sr. – Hudson, Mass. – Interdisciplinary Studies)
Hit .533 for the week and .583 in the series against UNF; Scored game-winning run vs UNC Asheville

Robert Stegbauer, UPST (P – Fr. – Hillsboro, Ohio – Middle Grades Education)
Paced Upstate to a 6-4 win vs UNC Asheville in a 70-pitch, six-inning effort for his first collegiate win