Monday, March 16, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Dominating performances helped Lipscomb's Rex Brothers and FGCU's Tim Roberson earn Atlantic Sun weekly honors as announced by the league office on Monday.

Brothers, a left-handed pitcher, overwhelmed USC Upstate in Lipscomb's series-opening win on Saturday. The Shelbyville, Tenn., native fanned 13 batters on his way to a 3-0 complete-game shutout of the Spartans. The league's second-best prospect according to Baseball America, Brothers needed just 109 pitches to slice through the Upstate lineup and faced only five batters over the minimum in his gem. He moved into a tie for the league lead with his third win while running his conference-best strikeout total to 42 for the season. Lipscomb moved to within one game of undefeated A-Sun leader FGCU with the win and climbed back to .500 overall for just the second time this season. The junior majors in management.

Tim Roberson led the FGCU offense last week, hitting .538 as the Eagles went 4-1 with a win against Penn State and a three-game sweep of North Florida. The sophomore pounded out five home runs while driving in 16 runs for the electric Eagles' offense. FGCU averaged 9.6 runs per game this week while keeping their conference record unblemished. Roberson was responsible for 21 of the Eagles 50 runs last week and leads the league in hits (32), home runs (seven) and RBI (31). He majors in criminal justice.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast 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
Kyle Heckathorn, Kennesaw State (Jr. - RHP - Ringgold, Ga. - Sports Management)
Pitched seven innings against No. 21 Kent State, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits while walking one and fanning nine in a no-decision. The Owls would go on to win the game and sweep the series.

Parker Fleming, Campbell (Fr. - RHP - Lexington, S.C. - Undeclared)
Earned win in first collegiate start, allowing just one run over 5.0 innings of work to go with six strikeouts versus North Carolina Central.

Dylan Craig, Belmont (Fr. - OF - Signal Mountain, Tenn. - Biology)
Collected four multi-hit games during Belmont's 4-1 week. Also posted a 1.000 slugging percentage highlighted by three triples that vaulted him into the conference lead in that category with five for the season.

Antonio Butler, Lipscomb (Fr. - OF - Gallatin, Tenn. - Undeclared)
Belted the first two home runs of his career in Lipscomb's three-game sweep of USC Upstate. Finished the series with six RBI to help the Bisons stay within one game of conference leader FGCU.

Jeremy Gillian, Jacksonville (Sr. - C/DH - Port St. Lucia, Fla. - Exercise Science)
Went 8-for-15 (.533), with a home run, five RBI, a .733 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage for the week.

Jeremy Cruz, Stetson (Sr. - OF/1B - Miami, Fla. - Sports Management)
In five games, he belted four homers while hitting .450 (9-for-20) and driving in 11 runs. Cruz raised his average from .260 to .314 over the week and stands third in the conference with his six home runs.

Chris Sale, FGCU (So. - LHP - Lakeland, Fla. - Criminal Justice)
Struck out nine batters while hurling 8.0 innings in the Eagles' 8-2 win at UNF.

Tyler Graskewicz, Belmont (So. - RHP - Hudson, Wisc. - Undeclared)
Fanned a career-best five batters while allowing only one unearned run in 7.0 innings of work against ETSU.