SoCon Announces Weekly Baseball Awards For March 9

SPARTANBURG, SC – VMI senior slugger Grayson Fitzwater was named SoCon Player of the Week, and Western Carolina junior reliever Mason Snyder was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week following games played from March 2 to March 8.

Fitzwater (Suffolk, VA / Nansemond River HS) powered the Keydets to a four-game sweep of Western Illinois, sizzling at the plate with a .727 batting average, 2.000 slugging percentage, and a prodigious 2.789 OPS. He went 8-for-11 at the plate with six runs scored, four home runs, two doubles, and nine RBI in the series, and struck out only once. Fitzwater drew seven walks – including five intentional passes – and still managed at least one hit in all four games.

His performance in Friday’s opening doubleheader earned Fitzwater D1Baseball.com’s Mid Major LOUD! Performance of the Day on March 6. He went 2-for-3 in an 8-7 win, launching the tie-breaking homer in the eighth. In the nightcap, he went 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI, sparking a comeback from a 7-2 deficit and tying the game in the seventh before a walk-off home run by teammate Seth Buchanan. He finished the day with an .857 batting average (6-for-7), four home runs, seven RBI, and a galactic 4.168 OPS.

Fitzwater’s big day limited his opportunities the rest of the series, with Western Illinois choosing to pitch around his incandescent bat. All five of his intentional walks were issued over the final two games. He finished 1-for-2 in each of those contests with an RBI to complete the series sweep. Fitzwater now has 47 career home runs, the most in VMI history. Three more homers would put him in the SoCon Top 10. Matt Raleigh (Western Carolina) is the current SoCon home run king with 68 to his credit from 1989-1992.

The SoCon’s Preseason Player of the Year, Fitzwater, is batting .370 with six home runs, five doubles, and 22 RBI through 16 games. He is among the league leaders in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and home runs so far this season, leading VMI to a 14-2 start.

Snyder (Ocilla, GA / Irwin County HS) continued his strong early-season effort on the mound for the Catamounts, with two scoreless relief appearances in wins over No. 8 Georgia and Radford. In the win over the hot-hitting Bulldogs, Mason came on with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning after Georgia smashed a pair of home runs and a double to erase an early WCU lead. He coaxed a groundout to end the fourth, came through with a strikeout, and two clutch ground balls to strand a leadoff triple in the fifth to keep the deficit at one run. Teammate Mason Holton smashed a ninth-inning grand slam that gave WCU the lead for good in a 10-9 win. Snyder was strong again in a 10-0 win over Radford, picking up the win after pitching 4.0 innings of scoreless relief with a season-high seven strikeouts and only one walk. He came on in the fourth and finished the 7.0 inning game against the Highlanders.

Snyder is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and three walks in 18.0 innings over five appearances, holding batters to a .153 average.

VMI (14-2) will play its second road game of the season on Wednesday at Norfolk State. First pitch is set for 3:00. Western Carolina (10-6) plays at App State on Wednesday night at 6:00.

Also nominated for Player of the Week: Nathan Conner (ETSU), Phillips Daniels (The Citadel), Eli Stephens (Mercer), Jake Barbour (UNCG), Mason Holton (Western Carolina), Cade Collins (Wofford)

Also nominated for Pitcher of the Week: Cooper Jones (ETSU), Garrett Lambert (Mercer), Hunter Shuey (UNCG), Buddy Baker (VMI).

2025-26 SoCon Player of the Week

Feb. 16 – Andrew Quarless, R-So., Western Carolina (C, Winston-Salem, NC)

Feb. 23 – Braydon Kersey, Jr., Mercer (DH/INF, Alpharetta, GA)

Mar. 2 – Titan Kamaka, Sr., Mercer (SS, Orlando, FL)

Mar. 9 – Grayson Fitzwater, Sr., VMI (1B, Suffolk, VA)

2025-26 SoCon Pitcher of the Week

Feb. 16 – Andrew Marble, Jr., Samford (RHP, Hurley, MS)

Feb. 23 – Michael Harpster, Jr., ETSU (RHP, Lynchburg, VA)

Mar. 2 – Bryce Coulter, Jr., The Citadel (RHP, Sumter, SC)

Mar. 9 – Mason Snyder, Jr., Western Carolina (RHP, Ocilla, GA)