SoCon Announces Weekly Baseball Awards

SPARTANBURG, SC – ETSU senior Tristan Curless was named SoCon Player of the Week and Western Carolina senior Joseph Lee was named SoCon Pitcher of the week following games played from March 16 through March 22.

Curless (Amarillo, TX / Amarillo HS) helped the Bucs to a pair of SoCon wins against UNC Greensboro over the weekend, batting a sizzling .615 (8-of-13) with six runs scored, two home runs, seven RBI and a 1.821 OPS over three games. He added a save and did not allow a run in 2.0 innings of relief work on the mound. In the series finale at UNC Greensboro, Curless was a monster, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and three RBI in a 15-8 win. He roped a single into left in the fourth inning for a 6-2 lead, then belted a solo home run in the top of the eighth to put ETSU up 11-8. He moved to the mound in the bottom of the eighth and tossed two shutout frames to close out the win. In the top of the ninth, his RBI single was part of a five-run burst for the visitors. Curless went 2-for-4 in the Bucs’ 8-2 win that evened the series and was 3-for4 with a home run and three RBI in the opener.

Curless has been strong in his second season with the Bucs, batting .373 with 10 home runs and 15 RBI through 22 games played. He has made two consecutive scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.

Lee (San Jose, CA / Kings Academy) tossed 7.0 shutout innings in Samford’s series opener at Western Carolina, helping the Bulldogs to an 11-0 win. He fanned seven, walked two, and allowed only one hit in the complete-game gem – which marked his first decision of the season in seven appearances. Lee threw 109 pitches and faced only two batters over the minimum with the help of a double play.

Lee is 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts this season in 28.2 innings of work.

ETSU hosts Virginia Tech on Tuesday (March 24) at 5:00 pm before welcoming VMI for a SoCon series on Friday. Samford steps out of conference for a midweek trip to Troy, before hosting Presbyterian College in a weekend series beginning Friday.

Also nominated for Player of the Week:  Luke Holland (UNCG), Braydon Kersey (Mercer), Jake Souders (Samford), Cole Raile (VMI), Trent Turner (Western Carolina), Logan Tribble (Wofford)

Also nominated for Pitcher of the Week: Evan Rolison (ETSU), Noah Chapman (UNCG), Garrett Lambert (Mercer), Hunter Sipe (VMI), Bryant Kimbrell (Western Carolina), Branton Little (Wofford)

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)

Mar 16 – Grayson Fitzwater, Sr., VMI (1B, Suffolk, VA)

Mar 23 – Tristan Curless, Sr., ETSU (1B/P, Amarillo, TX)

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)

Mar 16 – Carter Burnette, So., Western Carolina (RHP, Asheville, NC)

Mar 23 – Joseph Lee, Sr., Samford (RHP, San Jose, CA)