SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina outfielder/first baseman Matt Smith and Mercer reliever Robert Broom have been named the Southern Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all games from April 17-23. The selections are made by the league office.
Western Carolina’s Smith hit .571, slugged 1.143 and had an on-base percentage of .700 as the Catamounts swept VMI after a midweek loss at Gardner-Webb. Smith hit two home runs and two doubles, walked three times, was hit by three pitches, scored five runs and drove in nine. He struck out just once in 20 plate appearances on the week.
Against the Runnin’ Bulldogs on Wednesday, Smith was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored as WCU fell 7-5. The center fielder was on base three times, also drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch, and he stole his 10th base of the season.
In the series against VMI, the outfielder returned to first base, where he was an All-SoCon performer and tournament MVP a season ago. He responded by going 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Friday’s opener and followed that up with three hits, two of which were homers, and a career-high seven RBIs in game two, which started Friday and finished Saturday after being suspended due to inclement weather. Smith reached base five times in the game, all in the first six innings of the 19-3 win.
In Saturday’s finale, he reached on a single and was hit by a pitch, scoring a run as Western Carolina picked up a 10-5 win that made coach Bobby Moranda the winningest coach in school history. Smith pushed his current streak of reaching base safely to 20 games and his current hitting streak to seven.
The weekly award is the second of Smith’s career (April 13, 2015).
The Catamounts host Savannah State for a pair of midweek games before heading to Birmingham, Alabama, for a three-game weekend series at Samford (22-17, 5-7 SoCon).
Also nominated: Taylor Cothran (The Citadel), Carter Grote (Furman), JT Thomas (Mercer), Andrew Moritz (UNCG), Troy Dixon (Samford) and McClain Bradley (Wofford).
Mercer’s Broom did not allow a run in eight innings over three relief appearances, going 1-0. The sophomore from Rising Fawn, Georgia, struck out 11, walked three and allowed just two singles as the Bears were 2-1 in those contests. Broom inherited two runners in each appearance, stranding all six.
Broom opened his week with 2 1/3 innings of work at Georgia Tech. The right-hander entered the game in the fifth with runners on first and second and the Yellow Jackets threatening to turn a three-run lead into more. Broom got a fly out to escape the jam and then worked two more perfect innings, striking out three.
Broom earned his seventh win of the season in Friday’s opener at The Citadel, pitching four scoreless innings as Mercer earned the 6-5 win in 10 innings. He came into the game with runners on second and third and got a strikeout to end the threat. He struck out five and walked three in the game.
In the series finale Sunday, Broom struck out three in just 1 2/3 innings of the Bears’ 2-1 win in 13 frames. He once again entered with Mercer in trouble, striking out two batters in the eighth to strand runners at first and second.
The weekly award is the first for Broom, a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America selection last year.
Mercer, which entered the national rankings last week and debuted in Monday’s Baseball America poll at No. 24, leads NCAA Division I in wins at 35-7 on the season (14-1 SoCon). The Bears will take on Georgia Southern at home on Tuesday and in Statesboro, Georgia, on Wednesday before hosting UNCG (24-14, 8-4 SoCon) for a three-game set over the weekend. Mercer is 17-3 at OrthoGeorgia Park this season.
Also nominated: Thomas Byelick (The Citadel), Jack Maynard (UNCG), Mikhail Cazenave (Samford), Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) and Austin Higginbotham (Wofford).
2017 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 20 Chris Cook, ETSU
Feb. 27 Charlie Madden, Mercer
March 6 Will Malbon, VMI
March 13 Austin Embler, UNCG
March 20 JT Thomas, Mercer
March 27 Charlie Madden, Mercer
April 3 Bryson Bowman, Western Carolina
April 10 Taylor Garris, Samford
April 17 JT Thomas, Mercer
April 24 Matt Smith, Western Carolina
2017 SoCon Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 20 Matt Frisbee, UNCG
Feb. 27 JP Sears, The Citadel
March 6 Adam Scott, Wofford
March 13 Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina
March 20 Blake Smith, ETSU
March 27 JP Sears, The Citadel
April 3 Josh Winder, VMI
April 10 Ryan Askew, Mercer
April 17 Matthew Quarles, Furman
April 24 Robert Broom, Mercer
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