SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU catcher Hagen Owenby and Wofford right-hander Elliot Lance have been named the Southern Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all games April 25 to May 1. The selections are made by the league office.
Owenby hit .650 and slugged 1.150 with eight RBIs on the week as ETSU earned its first sweep of the season by taking three games from VMI over the weekend. Owenby notched at least three hits in all four of his contests on the week and hit three home runs.
After going 3-for-5 in Tuesday’s 6-5 loss at Radford, the sophomore backstop opened his series against the Keydets with a 3-for-6, five-RBI showing Friday. The Knoxville, Tenn., native had an RBI single, a two-run homer and a two-run double.
The next day, Owenby was 4-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored, and he finished his stellar week Sunday by going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs scored.
ETSU (19-24, 6-9 SoCon) hosts Winthrop on Wednesday at 4 p.m. before heading to Birmingham, Ala., for a three-game series at Samford (26-19, 8-7 SoCon).
Also nominated: Kyle Lewis (Mercer), Jabari Richards (Furman), L.J. Kalawaia (UNCG), Austin Edens (Samford), Danny Bermudez (Western Carolina) and Derek Hirsch (Wofford).
Wofford’s Lance was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 12 innings of work on the week. He struck out four and walked one, allowing just six hits.
The junior threw the first complete-game shutout of his career on Tuesday, allowing just four hits and a walk in a 4-0 neutral-site win over Charleston Southern in his hometown of Lexington, S.C. Lance retired the first eight batters of the game before one reached on an error and didn’t allow a hit until surrendering a two-out single in the fourth inning. His only trouble game in the eighth, when he allowed a single and a walk with one out, but he recovered with a pair of outfield outs to end the threat. Lance, who retired the side in order in the ninth, needed just 90 pitches for Wofford’s first complete-game shutout of the season.
Lance also worked three scoreless innings in a Saturday win over Dayton, allowing two hits and striking out three. He worked perfect sixth and seventh innings before striking out the side to negate a pair of singles in the eighth.
Wofford (26-20, 8-7 SoCon) returns to action Wednesday at head coach Todd Interdonato’s alma mater, UNC Asheville, for a 6 p.m. contest. The Terriers then return home and to conference play for a three-game set against league-leading UNCG (33-13, 11-4 SoCon).
Also nominated: Jacob Watcher (The Citadel), Jamin McCann (ETSU), Billy Greenfield (Furman), Hunter Smith (UNCG), Parker Curry (Samford) and Colton Davis (Western Carolina).
2016 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 22 Heath Quinn, Samford
Feb. 29 Heath Quinn, Samford
March 7 Kyle Lewis, Mercer
March 14 Peyton Maddox, VMI
March 21 Bryson Bowman, Western Carolina
March 28 Kramer Ferrell, Western Carolina
April 4 Carter Grote, Furman
April 11 Kramer Ferrell, Western Carolina
April 18 L.J. Kalawaia, UNCG
April 25 Alex Lee, Samford
May 2 Hagen Owenby, ETSU
2016 SoCon Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 22 JP Sears, The Citadel
Feb. 29 Ryan Askew, Mercer
March 7 Josh Winder, VMI
March 14 Matthew Milburn, Wofford
March 21 Tristan Baker, Western Carolina
March 28 JP Sears, The Citadel
April 4 Andrew Wantz, UNCG
April 11 Parker Curry, Samford
April 18 Matt Frisbee, UNCG
April 25 Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina
May 2 Elliot Lance, Wofford
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