Monday, April 05, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Kennesaw State’s Ronnie Freeman earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors as he drove in eight as the Owls went 3-1, including an upset of No. 2 Georgia Tech, while FGCU’s Chris Sale struck out 14 against Mercer to earning pitching accolades.

Freeman, a freshman catcher, went 7-for-15 on the week, including 6-for-12 with home runs in every game of the Belmont series. Against No. 2-ranked Georgia Tech, the native of Lawrenceville, Ga. posted a hit and scored the first run in a 7-4 upset win of the Owls.

In game one against Belmont, Freeman went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a two-run home run. In Friday's first game of the doubleheader, the freshman had a solo home run and a run-scoring single. In the finale, Freeman connected for a three-run home run to left. On the week, Freeman scored seven runs and drove in eight, leading the Owls to their first conference series win of the season.

Sale tied a career and season-high with 14 strikeouts as the Eagles defeated the Bears, 9-1, Friday night at Swanson Stadium. The Lakeland, Fla. native pitched 8.0 innings, allowing only four hits and one run (unearned) to go along with his 14 strikeouts and one walk. Sale leads the Atlantic Sun in ERA and strikeouts.

Sale’s weekend numbers moved him into the top 15 nationally in ERA and junior left-hander ranks in the top 20 nationally in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings.

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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
Nate Woods, Belmont (Jr. - 1B - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Business) – Woods hit five homeruns in four games with 11 RBI last week against Murray State and Kennesaw State. In Friday’s doubleheader split with Kennesaw, the junior hit two homeruns in each game, finishing the day with four homeruns and 10 RBIs. With five RBIs in both games on Friday, Woods tied his career-high in RBIs for the fourth time. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native ranks as the A-Sun co-leader in homeruns and top-10 in the nation with a total of 13 this season.

Luke Smierciak, FGCU (Jr. - OF - Gainesville, Fla. - Criminal Justice) – Smierciak led FGCU to a 3-2 record last week, including a win at Oklahoma State and a series win against Mercer. The Gainesville, Fla. native hit .500 with seven runs scored, two homers, six RBIs, a 1.000 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .524. Smierciak also had a pair of triples, which tie him for the conference lead.

Josh Smith, Lipscomb (Sr. - RHP - Margate, Fla. - Exercise Science) – For the second Friday in row, Smith struck out 15 batters, a total which ranks as the most under head coach Jeff Forehand. The senior right-hander beat Illinois State from the Missouri Valley Conference, 5-3, to set the stage for a series sweep by the Bisons, their first of the season. It also marked Smith’s second consecutive complete game.

David Eldredge, UNF (Sr. - Catcher - Jacksonville, Fla. - Sport Management) – Eldredge posted a .526 batting average on the week with a team-best 1.053 slugging percentage. The native of Jacksonville, Fla. finished the week 10-for-19 with four doubles and two home runs. The senior catcher, posted a team-best seven runs scored, while driving in six runs. Eldredge set the UNF school record with four doubles in a game, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI against ETSU. The sport management major finished the series against ETSU with a 5-for-5 performance, scoring four runs with five RBIs and two home runs.

Sean Emory, Stetson (Jr. - OF - Miami, Fla. - Finance) – Emory took over the leadoff spot for the injured Jeff Simpson and posted a .579 batting average in four games. On the week, Emory, a native of Miami, Fla., led Stetson to a 4-0 record, including a win against USF and a three-game sweep of Campbell. Emory posted game-winning RBIs in three of the four games. Against USF and in the second game against Campbell, his game-winner came in Stetson's final inning at the plate. The finance major totaled six RBIs on the week while slugging .684.