SoCon Announces Weekly Baseball Awards

SPARTANBURG, SC – Western Carolina freshman outfielder Jaylen Jones was named SoCon Baseball Player of the Week, and Wofford junior pitcher Alec Bouchard was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week following games played from April 6 through April 12.

Jones (Loganville, GA / Loganville HS) batted .438 over four games for the Catamounts, sparking a SoCon sweep of Mercer over the weekend. He went 7-of-16 at the plate with seven runs scored, seven RBI, two stolen bases, one double, one triple, and an inside-the-park home run. He went 3-for-4 in the Friday win over Mercer with two RBI, then followed by scoring five runs and driving in three to power a 17-9 win that clinched the series on Saturday. Jones had a pair of hits and two RBI in a midweek battle with USC Upstate last Tuesday. Jones posted a strong .500 on base percentage with 13 total bases for the week. He nine chances cleanly in centerfield, including one outfield assist.

Jones has been strong for Western Carolina this season, starting 35 times with a .311 batting average, 38 runs scored, nine doubles, 23 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.

Bouchard (Soddy Daisy, TN / Notre Dame HS) continued his dominance in a starting role on the mound, firing 7.0 shutout innings with a season-high 12 strikeouts in a 2-0 Friday night win at The Citadel. Bouchard scattered five singles in the win and, with his team clinging to a 1-0 lead, retired the final nine batters he faced before leaving the game to his bullpen over the final two frames. The performance comes on the heels of another sterling effort, which saw Bouchard toss 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts in last Friday’s 9-2 win at VMI. He has allowed only one earned run with 21 strikeouts over his last 14.0 innings of work.

Bouchard is now 6-2 with a 1.64 ERA in nine starts this season. He leads the SoCon with 61 strikeouts, and paces the conference in wins, ERA, and strikeouts per nine innings (11.1). He ranks in the top three in the SoCon with 49.1 innings pitched, a .213 opponents’ batting average, and a 1.14 WHIP.

In three SoCon starts, Bouchard is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA and 28 strikeouts in only 20.0 innings pitched.

Also Nominated for Player of the Week: TJ Anderson (The Citadel), Tanner Berry (UNC Greensboro), Cole Cook (VMI), Braydon Kersey (Mercer), Jamie Palmese (ETSU), Jake Souders (Samford), Logan Tribble (Wofford).

Also Nominated for Pitcher of the Week: Noah Berry (Samford), Jake Colucci (UNC Greensboro), Michael Harpster (ETSU), Caleb Hughes (Mercer), Mason Snyder (Western Carolina).

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)

Mar. 30 – Parker McDonald, Sr., Samford (3B, Tallahassee, FL)

Apr. 6 – Ben Timblin, So., Wofford (Signal Mountain, TN)

Apr. 13 – Jaylen Jones, R-Fr., Western Carolina (Loganville, GA)

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)

Mar. 30 – Michael Harpster, Jr., ETSU (RHP, Lynchburg, VA)

Apr. 6 – Mason Snyder, Jr., Western Carolina (RHP, Ocilla, GA)

Apr. 13 – Alec Bouchard, Jr., Wofford (RHP, Soddy Daisy, TN)