Monday, April 25, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Mercer third baseman Jacob Tanis spearheaded a 4-0 week for the Bears by driving home 10 runs and Kennesaw State’s Bryan Blough struck out an Atlantic Sun best 14 hitters in a complete-game win at ETSU to win the A-Sun’s Player and Pitcher of the Week awards the conference announced on Monday.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Bryan Blough, Kennesaw State (SP – Sr. – Newnan, Ga. – Psychology)

• First A-Sun Pitcher of the Week award
• Struck out an Atlantic Sun Conference season and personal career-high 14 against ETSU
• Threw 117 pitches and 86 for strikes as he retired the side in order five times
• Struck out batters in seven of nine innings and struck out eight batters on three pitches
• Struck out the powerful 2-3-4 hitters of ETSU (Bo Reeder, Paul Hoilman and Derek Trent) a combined seven times

OTHER NOMINEES:
• Chase Brookshire (SP, Belmont) – Notched second complete game; needed only 83 pitches
• Scott DeCecco (SP, USC Upstate) – Tied career high with 8.1 IP in beating The Citadel
• Ricky Knapp (SP, FGCU) – Allowed only one run and four hits in 8.0 IP against Le Moyne
• Brandon Love (SP, Mercer) – In 7.0 IP, allowed only one run in 10-2 defeat of Lipscomb

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Jacob Tanis, Mercer (3B – Jr. –Peachtree City, Ga. – Business)

• First A-Sun Player of the Week award this season; Third award of his career
• Went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in a 6-3 win against No. 9 Georgia Tech
• Collected his second multi-home run game of the season when he drove in five runs and scored three runs in a 12-2 win against Lipscomb
• Totaled 10 RBI, six runs scored and slugged .882 on the week
• Increased career home run total to 45 which ranks in a tie for fifth on the A-Sun all-time list

OTHER NOMINEES:
• Andy Chriscaden (1B, Kennesaw State) – Hit .444 with three home runs and 10 RBI
• Tim Egerton (OF, Belmont) – Batted .412 with three doubles as Bruins went 3-1
• Blake Green (OF, USC Upstate) – Hit .500 with three three-hit games
• Ellis Lowe (IF, Campbell) – Broke Campbell’s career RBI record
• Zach Maxfield (1B, FGCU) – Hit .435 with 10 hits including 50th career double

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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 five 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.