CofC's Bailey Ober threw his second consecutive complete game.
Baseball Weekly Report - May 23
Rob Washburn
CAA BASEBALL WEEKLY REPORT - MAY 23 (PDF format)
CAA BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Bradley McKay, James Madison
So., 3B, Midlothian, Va./Cosby
McKay batted .417 (5-12) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI’s in James Madison’s three-game sweep at Hofstra last week. The home runs were the first in the career of the sophomore third baseman and he drove in two runs in each contest to help the Dukes secure a berth in the CAA Championship.
CAA BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Colton Harlow, James Madison
So., LHP, Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson
Harlow gave up just three hits over 8.0 shutout innings in James Madison’s 6-0 win at Hofstra last Friday. The sophomore left-hander tied a career-high with seven strikeouts, only walked one and didn’t allow a runner past second base in the longest outing of his career.
CAA BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Bailey Ober, College of Charleston
So., RHP, Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian School
Ober threw a complete-game, 4-hitter in College of Charleston’s 5-1 triumph over William & Mary last Thursday. The sophomore right-hander fanned seven, walked only one and became the first Cougars’ pitcher to throw back-to-back complete games since 2006.
CAA BASEBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Bodie Sheehan, William & Mary
Fr., LHP, Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial
Sheehan allowed just three hits and an unearned run in 7.0 innings of work in William & Mary’s 6-1 victory over College of Charleston last Friday. The freshman left-hander struck out four and didn’t give up an extra-base hit to even his record at 4-4 for the season.
DIAMOND NOTES:
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (29-24-1, 12-12 in CAA)
The Cougars took two-of-three from William & Mary to earn the #6 seed for the CAA Championship. CofC got outstanding pitching performances in the series. Bailey Ober (6-4) threw a complete-game, 4-hitter with seven strikeouts in Thursday’s 5-1 triumph. He became the first CofC hurler since 2006 to toss back-to-back complete games. On Friday, freshman Evan Sisk limited W&M to one run on five hits over 7.0 innings in a 6-1 setback. In Saturday’s 6-0 victory, Nathan Helvey, Eric Bauer and Carter Love combined on a 2-hit shutout. Offensively, Bradley Dixon was 4-for-5 with three RBI’s and Erven Roper was 4-for-4 on Saturday. Freshman Dupree Hart extended his hitting streak to 10 games last week. CofC, which has reached the finals of the past two CAA Championships, faces #3 Elon in the first round on Wednesday.
DELAWARE (32-22, 10-14 in CAA)
The Blue Hens fell short of a tournament berth after losing twice in their three-game set with first-place UNCW. UD posted an 11-7 victory in the middle game of the series as Jeremy Ake went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI’s and three runs scored. Kyle Baker and Nick Tierno also drove in a pair of runs. On the mound, freshman Brandon Walter improved to 7-3 after limiting the Seahawks to seven hits and three earned runs over 7.0 innings. It was the sixth straight start that Walter went at least seven innings. In the finale, Kevin Mohollen hit a two-run homer in a 6-2 setback. Starting pitcher Kevin Milley held UNCW scoreless through the first six innings, extending his streak to 14 innings, before giving up two runs in the seventh.
ELON (24-27, 13-10 in CAA)
The Phoenix suffered a pair of setbacks to Richmond to close the regular season. In Friday’s 10-5 loss, Ryne Ogren and Nick Zammarelli each provided a pair of hits from the top of the order, while Kyle Jackson smacked his team-leading 11th home run in the eighth. Jackson also had two hits in Thursday’s 16-4 loss and Danny Lynch knocked in two runs. Zammarelli hit his 22nd double in the game, which is the 2nd-highest season total in school history. Tyler McVicar has reached base safely in 24 consecutive contests. Elon’s players shaved their heads after Thursday’s game for the Vs. Cancer Foundation. Elon has raised over $42,000 for the foundation to fight pediatric cancer. The third-seeded Phoenix face #6 CofC at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
HOFSTRA (15-37, 5-15 in CAA)
The Pride dropped their final four games, including three against CAA foe James Madison, to close the season. Brad Witkowski recorded hits in all four contests and ended the year on a 17-game hitting streak. He batted a team-best .289 in 2016. Hofstra belted 47 home runs as a team, which was the most for the program since hitting 49 in 2000. Steven Foster (43) and Vito Friscia (42) moved up to second and third on HU’s all-time walks list. The Pride pitching staff set a school record with 411 strikeouts. John Rooney fanned a school-record 77 batters, breaking the mark of 74 set by Ryan Cosentino in 2003.
JAMES MADISON (23-29, 13-11 in CAA)
The Dukes earned the #4 seed for the CAA Championship after a three-game sweep at Hofstra to close the regular season. JMU out-scored the Pride 30-5 in the series. Catcher Zach Tondi was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and four RBI’s in a 15-4 win in Thursday’s opener. The Dukes tied a season-high with 17 hits in Game 2 of the series as Kyle McPherson and Mike Sciorra had three apiece. Bradley McKay homered in both games of Friday’s doubleheader and finished the series with six RBI’s. Ky Parrott set a school record by drawing his 57th walk, which is the 2nd-highest season total in CAA history. On the mound, Brandon Withers allowed one run on three hits over 6.0 innings in Friday’s first game, while Colton Harlow gave up just three hits over 8.0 shutout frames in the nightcap. Reliever Michael Evans also provided 3.0 scoreless innings.
UNCW (37-15, 16-6 in CAA)
The Seahawks captured the CAA regular-season title after winning two-of-three at Delaware. Nick Feight homered twice to increase his CAA-best total to 19 and drove in six to set a new school record for RBI’s in a season with 85. Gavin Stupienski batted .500 for the week with two doubles and a homer and extended his hitting streak to nine games. Steven Linkous, who leads the nation with 70 runs scored, had a two-run single in the seventh that snapped a 0-0 tie in the finale at UD. Senior Ryan Foster improved to 12-1 after giving up five hits and one earned run over 7.0 innings on Thursday. The 12 victories are the most in the nation and tied the UNCW season record set by Ronald Hill in 2004. The top-seeded Seahawks will meet either JMU or Northeastern at Noon on Thursday. UNCW is seeking its second straight CAA title and fifth overall.
NORTHEASTERN (29-25, 12-11 in CAA)
The Huskies earned a CAA Championship berth for the fourth year in a row after winning two-of-three over Towson last week. NU posted a 4-0 victory on Thursday as Aaron Civale (8-3) held the Tigers to four hits over 8.0 shutout innings and struck out seven. He leads the CAA in ERA (1.84) and strikeouts (111). Reliever Andrew Misiaszek picked up the win on Friday with 3.1 shutout frames and Mike Fitzgerald recorded his league-leading 11th save this season and tied the Huskies’ career saves mark with 17. Max Burt was 2-for-3 with an RBI on Friday and also set a new NU season record for defensive assists with 167. Cam Hanley and Shane Allen each went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday’s 7-4 setback. Fifth-seeded NU faces #4 JMU at Noon on Wednesday.
TOWSON (20-35, 10-14 in CAA)
The Tigers fell shy of a spot in the CAA Tournament after dropping two-of-three at Northeastern. Towson won its season finale, 7-4, as junior Kyle Stricker gave up only one hit over 6.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen to improve his record to 6-2. Cuinn Mullins was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s in the victory and John Drexel also drove in two runs in the win. Reliever Matt Golczewski tossed 3.0 innings of no-hit ball on Friday. Brady Policelli finished the regular season ranked second in the CAA in batting (.375) and ninth in RBI’s (45). Freshman Richie Palacios hit .329, ranked third in the CAA with 55 runs and led the league with a school-record 32 stolen bases. Palacios belted a grand slam in an 11-10 loss to George Mason last Tuesday, while Chris Henze was 2-for-4 with three RBI’s.
WILLIAM & MARY (25-28, 14-9 in CAA)
The Tribe went 1-2 in their final series at CofC, but earned the #2 seed for the CAA Championship. It’s the third time in four years that W&M has either been the #1 or #2 seed. The Tribe topped CofC, 6-1, on Friday as Charley Gould went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s and Cullen Large and Hunter Smith each added a pair of hits. Gould batted a team-best .342 during the regular season, while Large hit .329 and drove in a team-high 41 runs. Freshman Bodie Sheehan evened his record at 4-4 after limiting the Cougars to three hits and an unearned run over 7.0 innings. Nick Brown turned in a solid start on Thursday, giving up three hits and one earned run over 6.0 frames. The Tribe will face either Elon or CofC at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.