Monday, March 29, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Mercer’s Jacob Tanis drove in eight runs and help the Bears power past Jacksonville over the weekend to earn Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors while Matt Branham tossed a complete game for USC Upstate to earn pitching honors.    

Tanis put up stellar numbers against No.3 Georgia Tech and Jacksonville this past week. The sophomore third baseman hit a three-run home run against Georgia Tech starter Mark Pope (the only home run Pope has allowed this season in over 18 innings) to put Mercer right back into Tuesday’s game against the Yellow Jackets. The Peachtree City, Ga. native put together six hits and three RBIs in the Bears’ series win against Jacksonville. Tanis, a business major, leads Mercer in multiple statistical categories including slugging percentage (.712), home runs (8) and RBI (41).

Branham, a senior right-hander, tossed a complete-game eight-hitter to beat Belmont, 3-1, in the second game Saturday with the only run scored on a two-out infield single. The win snapped USC Upstate's 16-game losing streak, which had tied a school record. The Columbia, S.C. native dominated throughout his 140 pitches, striking out six, and allowed only five runners to reach scoring position all game and reaching 95 on radar gun. Prior to his game against Belmont, the criminal justice major had not topped 115-pitches in a game this year.
 
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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
Tim Roberson, FGCU (Jr. - 3B - West Palm Beach, Fla. - Criminal Justice) – Roberson led FGCU to a 2-2 record last week, which included a series win against conference foe Kennesaw State. For the week, Roberson hit .368 with three homers and seven RBIs. The criminal justice major also had a slugging percentage of .842.

Chris Sale, FGCU (Jr. - LHP - Lakeland, Fla. - Criminal Justice) – Sale went eight innings on the mound and sat down seven batters, as the FGCU baseball team earned its sixth conference victory of the season in an 11-1 route of the Kennesaw State Owls Friday. The Lakeland, Fla. native improved his record to 3-0 on the season as he threw eight complete innings, allowed 10 hits, one run (earned) and struck out seven batters.

Josh Smith, Lipscomb (Sr. - RHP - Margate, Fla. - Exercise Science) – In Friday's 9-4 win against ETSU, Smith pitched his first complete game of the season and struck out a career-high and season team-high 15 batters. It stands as the highest strikeout total for a pitcher in coach Jeff Forehand's four years as coach.

Andrew Karmeris, UNF (So. - 1B - Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - International Business) – Karmeris led UNF with a .421 batting average on the week, collecting eight hits in 19 at bats, including a team-high three doubles and five runs scored while driving in four more runs. The sophomore first baseman had a .579 slugging percentage and a .522 on base percentage. Karmeris also tallied two walks and was hit by two pitches and stole a base. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Native reached base safely in all five of UNF's games on the week, recording three multi-hit games.

Mark Jones, Stetson (So. - 3B - Palm Coast, Fla. - Undeclared) – Jones led Stetson to three wins versus Northwestern. For the week, the sophomore ranks in the top four in seven statistical categories within the A-Sun. Jones tied for the lead in hits with 11 and ranks second in on-base percentage (.680) and stolen bases (4).