SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU shortstop Chris Cook and UNCG right-hander Matt Frisbee have been named the Southern Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all games Feb. 17-19. The selections are made by the league office.
ETSU’s Cook hit .769 and slugged 1.385 over the opening weekend of the season, collecting 10 hits in 13 at-bats. Four of his hits went for extra bases, as he had two doubles and two home runs, scoring nine times and driving in five runs.
The redshirt junior, who suffered a season-ending injury just nine games into last season, returned with a vengeance, collecting at least three hits in all three of the Bucs’ games in a series win over Central Michigan. Cook was 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and four runs scored in ETSU’s 18-6 win Friday and followed that up with three more hits, including another home run, with three RBIs and two runs scored Saturday. In Sunday’s rubber game, the Kingsport, Tennessee, native matched a career high with four hits, two of them doubles, and scored three times as the Bucs claimed the series with a 7-6 win in 10 innings.
Cook stuffed the stat sheet over the weekend, drawing an intentional walk, stealing two bases, putting down two sacrifice bunts and reaching base once via hit-by-pitch.
ETSU (2-1) welcomes Oakland for a two-game midweek set before hosting Western Michigan for a three-game weekend series.
Also nominated: Joe Sabatini (The Citadel), Brandon Elmy (Furman), JT Thomas (Mercer), Tripp Shelton (UNCG), Ayrton Schafer (Samford), Caleb Robinson (Western Carolina) and Alex Malsch (Wofford).
UNCG’s Frisbee opened his season with a 1-0 win over No. 4 South Carolina on Sunday, combining with reliever Andrew Wantz to shut out the Gamecocks, who had scored a combined 12 runs in the first two games of the season-opening series.
Frisbee scattered three hits over seven innings, striking out four and walking just one in matching his career high in innings pitched. He was perfect the first time through South Carolina’s lineup, as he retired the first 10 batters of the game before allowing a one-out single in the fourth. Frisbee worked around a leadoff single in the fifth, a one-out walk in the sixth and a two-out single in the seventh, never allowing more than one baserunner in an inning.
The sophomore from Candler, North Carolina, consistently worked ahead of hitters on the day, throwing 17 first-pitch strikes to 25 batters faced.
UNCG (1-2) plays at Wake Forest on Tuesday before returning home to host a three-game weekend set against Michigan State.
Also nominated: Marlin Morris (The Citadel), Peyton Taylor (ETSU), Nick Spear (Mercer), Mikhail Cazenave (Samford), Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) and Spencer Kulman (Wofford).
2017 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 20 Chris Cook, ETSU
2017 SoCon Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 20 Matt Frisbee, UNCG
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