SPARTANBURG, S.C. – VMI first baseman Justin Starke and Wofford right-hander Matthew Marchal have been named the Southern Conference baseball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all games from Feb. 28 to March 6. The selections, which are the third of the 2022 campaign, are made by the league office.
 
Starke started in four games last week, scoring seven runs and batting .667 with three home runs, four doubles, and eight RBIs in the Keydets’ games against James Madison and Binghamton. He started the week by going 2-for-4 with one double in VMI’s 28-4 loss against the Dukes on Tuesday, March 1, before going 2-for-4 with one double, one home run, and three runners batted in in VMI’s 13-9 series-opening victory over Binghamton on Friday, March 4. In the second game against the Bearcats, the redshirt sophomore corner infielder powered VMI to a 13-1 win, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and a walk. He ended the weekend going 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks in the Keydets’ 8-7 loss against the Bearcats in the final game of the series on Sunday. The Prince George, Virginia, native posted an on-base percentage of .737 and a slugging percentage of 1.533, while also concluding the week with two stolen bases and four total walks.
 
VMI (6-5) plays in two midweek games this week, welcoming Penn State to Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Virginia, on March 8 for a 3 p.m. ET game before hosting Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 9, at 3 p.m. ET. 
 
Marchal threw 10 total innings in his two appearances for Wofford last week, striking out seven batters in five innings of work in the Terriers’ 9-8 win over UNC Asheville on Wednesday, March 2, before striking out 11 and allowing just two unearned runs in five innings of work in Wofford’s 5-4 win over Pennsylvania on Sunday, March 6. The junior from Greenville, South Carolina, tallied 18 total strikeouts, with his 11-strikeout outing marking a career-high for the right-hander and a single-game best by a Terrier in the 2022 campaign.
 
Wofford (6-6) hosts two midweek games this week, welcoming Georgia State to Russell C. King Field in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before hosting Kennesaw State on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. first pitch.
 
Also nominated for player of the week: Dylan Costa (The Citadel), Jackson Green (ETSU), Zack Budzik (UNCG), Towns King (Samford), Bryson Parks (Western Carolina) and John Dempsey (Wofford).
 
Also nominated for pitcher of the week: Ben Hutchins (The Citadel), Nathan Hickman (ETSU), Austin Parsley (UNCG), Jalon Long (Samford), Nathan Light (VMI) and Tristan Campbell (Western Carolina).
 
2022 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 21             Hogan Windish, Jr., INF, UNCG
Feb. 28             Cole Simpson, Sr., OF, The Citadel
March 7             Justin Starke, R-So., INF, VMI
 
2022 SoCon Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 21             Tyler Bradt, R-So., VMI
Feb. 28             Tyler Bradt, R-So., VMI
March 7             Matthew Marchal, Jr., Wofford