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5/18/2009 - BASEBALL
Hale Notches Final Weekly Honor
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MACON, Ga. - UNF's Preston Hale and Mercer's J.T. Odom each helped their teams to strong finishes in Atlantic Sun Conference play with Hale powering the Ospreys' offense and Odom shoring up the Bears' pitching staff. On Monday, the duo earned the season's final Player and Pitcher of the Week awards the conference office announced.
Hale started all four games last week, leading the Ospreys in almost every offensive category. He began the week by knocking in five runs at South Florida before picking up 13 total bases against Kennesaw State. He helped UNF finish with an even A-Sun mark by homering and doubling twice in the season finale against the Owls. He also doubled in game one of the doubleheader. Hale drove in four runs and scored two that day.
Mercer reliever J.T. Odom was integral in the Bears’ sweep in their series against Belmont on the season’s final weekend. The sophomore mechanical engineering major from St. Mary’s, Ga. appeared in all three games, notching a win and a save in 5-1/3 total innings pitched. On the weekend, Belmont hitters only managed one run off one hit against the side-arm pitcher, while hitting only .059. Odom helped the Bears clinch the No. 5 seed in this month’s A-Sun Championship by striking out nine Bruins, including fanning three of four batters in earning his third save of the season in Mercer’s 4-3 triumph over Belmont in the series finale on Saturday.
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:
Kyle Heckathorn (Ringgold, Ga. – Jr. – P – Sport Management) – Struck out 15 batters over nine innings to set a new Kennesaw State Division I record. His 15 K's were the most in at least three years for an A-Sun pitcher (website records only go back 3 years). Allowed 4 runs in the 1st and then shut down UNF for the rest of the game.
Pete Woodworth, FGCU (St. Petersburg, Fla. – Jr. – P – History) –Woodworth went 1-0 last week. Woodworth earned the win against Stetson that clinched the Eagles second consecutive A-Sun regular season title. Woodworth threw seven innings, struck out 10, and allowed two runs (unearned). Woodworth threw six scoreless innings as the Eagles went on to win 12-2.
Dennis McCraney, USC Upstate (Rock Hill, S.C. – Sr. – P – Business Management) – Coming into his final collegiate start on Friday, McCraney had never gone further than six innings in any of his 14 career starts and he entered the game with a hefty 6.88 ERA on the season ... However, in his final start, he tossed a complete-game six-hitter to down the nation's 10th-highest scoring offense in Campbell, 8-2
Eric Guillen, USC Upstate (Thousand Oaks, Calif. – Sr. – SS – Computer Information Systems) – Finished his career with a monster week, helping him bat better than .300 for the second time in his career and lifted Upstate to a sweep of Campbell ... Had three hits, two runs, a double and a RBI in midweek doubleheader at South Carolina.
Justin Sanders, Lipscomb (Conyers, Ga. – Sr. – 1B – Marketing) – Hit his 11th home run of the season, the second highest season total in the NCAA era. Had a 5-of-5 game May 16, the best hitting performance in a game this season for the Bisons
Steve Karwatt, Mercer (Sarasota, Fla. – Sr. – 1B – Economics) – Going into the finale weekend series of the regular season as a career .150 hitter against Belmont, Mercer first baseman Karwatt flipped the script on the Bruins by hitting .643 with three doubles in the Bears’ three-game sweep.
Brad Roberts, FGCU (Tampa, Fla. – Jr. – IF – Criminal Justice) – Roberts led the Eagles offense last week, going 9-for-17 with six runs scored and three RBI. Roberts reached base a total of 11 times as the Eagles went 3-1, and clinched their second straight A-Sun regular season title. At FAU, Roberts went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a three-run home run that put the Eagles ahead in the sixth inning. Against Stetson, Roberts went 5-for-12 with four runs scored.
