SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Elon first baseman and catcher Dallas Tarleton has been named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week while Davidson relief pitcher Mike Frongello has been chosen as the league’s Pitcher of the Week for all games from April 20-26.
Tarleton had at least one hit in all five of Elon’s games last week, helping the Phoenix to a 4-1 mark. In Elon’s sweep at Samford, Tarleton homered five times, including three times in the series finale on Sunday. In that game he also tied a career-high with five RBIs. The junior slugged 1.389 and posted a .571 on-base percentage for the week, and he drove in at least one run in four of the team’s five games for 10 RBIs on the week. Tarleton now has seven homers and 24 RBIs on the season.
Tarleton is the fifth different Elon player to earn SoCon Player of the Week honors this season and the third in as many weeks.
Frongello was a critical part of the Wildcats’ 4-1 week, pitching 10 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, walking none and striking out nine while appearing in all five games. He earned the win with three shutout innings of two-hit baseball, shutting down UNC Greensboro in the Wildcats’ 5-4 game one win on Friday. The sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., came back the next day and tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings of relief, with no walks and three strikeouts to earn a second straight win in the Wildcats’ 4-2 game two win over UNCG. Frongello then pitched three innings and allowed just one hit while walking none and striking out a pair in the Wildcats’ 5-4, 11-inning win over Greensboro to complete the sweep.
Frongello is the first Davidson pitcher to win pitcher of the week honors since Jay Haefner was honored on Feb. 27, 2006.
The SoCon’s weekly awards are voted on by the league’s baseball sports information directors.
Other hitters earning consideration for the award were Appalachian State’s Isaac Harrow, College of Charleston’s Joey Bergman, Western Carolina’s Rembert Rollison, Davidson’s Chase FitzPatrick, Samford’s David Schulze, The Citadel’s Richard Jones, Wofford’s Jake Williams and Furman’s Campbell Lewis.
Other pitchers nominated were The Citadel’s Wes Wrenn, Samford’s Kyle Putkonen, Appalachian State’s Josh Dowdy, Georgia Southern’s Andy Moye, Western Carolina’s Brandon Johnson and College of Charleston’s Jesse Simpson.
2009 SoCon Baseball Players of the Week
Feb. 23 Joash Brodin, College of Charleston
March 2 Justin Hilt, Elon
March 9 Griffin Benedict, Georgia Southern
March 16 Richard Jones, The Citadel
March 23 Stephen Notaro, Western Carolina
March 30 Mike Melillo, Elon and Cole Rakar, College of Charleston
April 6 Chris McGuiness, The Citadel
April 13 Bennett Davis, Elon
April 20 Pat Irvine, Elon
April 27 Dallas Tarleton, Elon
2009 SoCon Baseball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 23 Zach Garrett, The Citadel
March 2 Daniel Ottone, Western Carolina
March 9 David Peterson, College of Charleston
March 16 Jesse Simpson, College of Charleston
March 23 Chris Masters, Western Carolina
March 30 Drew Mahaffey, The Citadel
April 6 Jimmy Reyes, Elon
April 13 Corey Martin, Western Carolina
April 20 Chris Mederos, Georgia Southern
April 27 Mike Frongello, Davidson