Baseball Southern Conference

Samford?s Waller, Mercer?s Askew Take Weekly Honors

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Samford designated hitter/first baseman Damon Waller and Mercer right-hander Ryan Askew have been named the Southern Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all games Feb. 16-22. The selections are made by the league office.

Waller hit .500 with a double, home run and five runs driven in as Samford took two of three from Austin Peay over the weekend. In Friday’s 11-3 win, Waller was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. The following day, he was 1-for-4 with his first career grand slam to lead the Bulldogs to a 6-4 victory. He closed the week with a 2-for-3 showing that included a double and two walks in Sunday’s 17-8 loss.

The redshirt junior from Atlanta, Ga., slugged .900 on the week and had an on-base percentage of .583. He was perfect in the field in five total chances. Waller’s .500 average was tied for the best in the SoCon on the week, while his OBP also led the league.

The Bulldogs (3-3) return to action Tuesday at Troy in a game that was moved to Troy, Ala., due to poor field conditions and the prediction over more overnight rain in Birmingham, Ala.

Also nominated: Austin Mapes (The Citadel), Kevin Phillips (ETSU), Blake Chisolm (Furman), Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Bradley Strong (Western Carolina) and James Plaisted (Wofford).

Askew (2-0) won his second straight start with Friday’s series-opening victory over Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. The sophomore from Suwanee, Ga., out-dueled preseason MEAC Pitcher of the Year Keith Zuniga, surrendering just two hits to the Wildcats in 6 2/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out six while allowing just a pair of runs, neither of which was earned, in Mercer’s 3-2 win.

For the season, Askew boasts a 0.73 ERA and shares the league lead in wins. Opposing batters are hitting just .178 against the 6-6 right-hander.

Mercer (4-4) hosts Florida A&M for a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Also nominated: Griffin Krieg (ETSU), Brennen James (UNCG), Alex Ledford (Samford), Taylor Durand (Western Carolina) and Luke Leftwich (Wofford).

2015 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 16    Trey York, ETSU
Feb. 23    Damon Waller, Samford

2015 SoCon Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 16    B.J. Nobles, Western Carolina
Feb. 23    Ryan Askew, Mercer
-www.SoConSports.com-