Monday, April 19, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Belmont’s Nate Woods earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors after driving 10 runs and belting three home runs, while Ryan Rodebaugh earned pitching honors after helping Kennesaw State past UNF.  

Woods, a junior first basemen, hit three home runs and drove in 10 RBIs to help the Bruins defeat Stetson twice last week (13-3 and 14-4) and keep Belmont’s A-Sun Tournament hopes alive. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native also pitched six innings with five strikeouts to earn Saturday’s game one win. The business major recorded five RBIs in both games of the doubleheader Saturday. In game-one, he finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored on a two-run home run in the first inning, a two-run double in the sixth, and an RBI single in the ninth. In game two of the double header, Woods hit two home runs in back-to-back innings to finish with a career-high five RBIs for the sixth time this season. He also recorded a double in Friday’s series-opening loss to the Hatters.
 
Rodebaugh pitched seven strong innings against UNF, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six. The former A-Sun All-Academic honoree earned his third win of the season by throwing 133 pitches over his seven innings of work. On a weekend where the Ospreys hit .315 as a team, Rodebaugh held UNF’s hitters to just a .095 average. The Marietta, Ga. native’s win in game one helped the Owls become the first A-Sun team to take a series from UNF this season.

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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          
Zach Johnson, Campbell (Sr. - OF - Smithfield, N.C. - Business Administration) – Johnson went 7-15 in the series versus USC Upstate. Out of his seven hits, six of them were for extra bases, five were doubles and one was a home run. In the only win of the series for the Camels, Johnson went 4-for-5 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs. Johnson also notched six RBIs in the series.

Tyler Wilson, Lipscomb (Sr. - OF - Wheeler, Miss. - Marketing) – Wilson tallied five hits in Friday's 10-8 win against FGCU, his second time to record five hits in a game this season. The senior stands as the first Bison with five hits in a game since Justin Sanders did it last season against ETSU. Wilson stole five bases, giving him 29 for the season, 10 short of the all-time school record of 39.

Michael Langley, Mercer (Sr. - 2B - Lilburn, Ga. - Business) – Langley led Mercer to a 3-2 week, including taking two-out-of-three from A-Sun for ETSU. The Lilburn, Ga. native leads the team and ranks fourth in the A-Sun with a .404 batting average. Langley leads the A-Sun with 69 hits this season.

Jimmy Tanner, USC Upstate (Sr. - C - Fayetteville, Ga. - Information Management and Systems) – Tanner had at least two hits in all five games last week, leading USC Upstate to four wins, including its first A-Sun series win of the season against Campbell. The senior also tied the school's record for career hits with 241 hits thanks to his 12-hit week. The Fayeteville, Ga. native started his slugfest with a 3-for-5 game with three runs and two doubles in an 11-10 upset of the College of Charleston Tuesday. Tanner also drew a ninth-inning walk that kept USC Upstate's rally alive en route to the win.

Tyler Oliver, USC Upstate (Sr. - RHP - Lawrenceville, Ga. - Business Administration) – Oliver had a spectacular week and neared record-breaking territory for USC Upstate. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native had a key role in all four of the Spartans' wins, earning one win and posting three saves as he moved within one appearance of the school-record of 77. Oliver also moved all the way into a tie for fourth in the A-Sun with four saves and moving into a tie for sixth in school history with seven saves in his career. The senior pitched two innings of relief in 11-10 win against the College of Charleston, allowing a run and two hits, but striking out two.