Baseball Southern Conference

SoCon Announces May Athletes of the Month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its May athletes of the month for baseball on Thursday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month.


BASEBALL
Player
Drew McWhorter, Samford, C, R-Sr.
Samford catcher Drew McWhorter hit .379 and slugged .621 in May, helping the Bulldogs post a 9-6 record and reach the title game of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship. The redshirt senior from Duluth, Ga., drove in 17 runs and scored 15 in the month, putting together seven multiple-hit games and seven multi-RBI games. McWhorter hit safely in his first eight contests of the month, starting by going 7-for-14 in the Bulldogs’ series win at UNCG on May 2-4. He was 4-for-6 with a double, a triple, two RBIs and three runs scored in the rubber game of that series. McWhorter had two hits each in contests against Alabama A&M and UAB before getting hits in all three games of the series win over Appalachian State. He hit home runs in the first and third games against the Mountaineers, both Samford wins, and drove in six runs in the series. In the regular-season finale series against Wofford, McWhorter had three hits in game one of the May 17 doubleheader, again going yard and driving in two. McWhorter capped his month with four hits in the Bulldogs’ four SoCon tournament games, including a 2-for-6 showing with a double and two RBIs in a win over Wofford in the semifinals. All told, McWhorter had seven extra-base hits in the month, hitting three homers, three doubles and a triple. He also drew five walks and had an on-base percentage of .439.

Others nominated: Tyler Zupcic (Appalachian State), Drew DeKerlegand (The Citadel), Lee Miller (Davidson), Casey Jones (Elon), Aaron Mizell (Georgia Southern), Bradley Strong (Western Carolina) and Seth Neely (Wofford).

Pitcher
Sam Howard, Georgia Southern, LHP, Jr.
Georgia Southern left-hander Sam Howard went 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in five May appearances. The junior from Cartersville, Ga., went at least 6 2/3 innings in each of his four starts, highlighted by a complete-game, two-hit shutout of No. 3 Florida State in the Eagles’ first game of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Howard was dominant against the Seminoles, striking out 10 and retiring 15 consecutive batters in between leadoff singles in the second and seventh innings. Howard worked at least eight innings in each of his first two starts of the month, not allowing a run in either but not getting a decision in either. Against Furman on May 3, he threw eight scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and a walk, striking out six. He was even better next time out, striking out 10, walking two and surrendering five hits in 8 2/3 scoreless innings against Western Carolina. The only runs Howard allowed in May came in a win over the Catamounts in the SoCon Baseball Championship, when he allowed four runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings in an elimination game. Howard also appeared in the title game of the tournament, making his first relief appearance of the season and tossing a perfect ninth inning to pick up the win as the Eagles walked off in the bottom half to claim their sixth SoCon title. Howard allowed just one extra-base hit in 33 1/3 innings of work in May, striking out 31 against just nine walks.

Others nominated: Robert Whaley (Appalachian State), Logan Cribb (The Citadel), Danny Mooney (Davidson), Parker Curry (Samford), Tyler Powell (Western Carolina) and Matt Milburn (Wofford).


Southern Conference May Athletes of the Month
Baseball – Player    Drew McWhorter, Samford
Baseball – Pitcher    Sam Howard, Georgia Southern
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