FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina junior catcher Stephen Notaro has been named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week while the Catamounts’ Chris Masters has been chosen as the league’s Pitcher of the Week for all games from March 16-22.
Notaro led Western Carolina with a .529 batting average (9-of-17) with five of his nine hits going for extra bases last week as the Catamounts went 4-1 overall. Notaro belted two doubles and three home runs for a 1.176 slugging percentage. The Thousand Oaks, Calif., native also drew four walks as a part of a team-best .619 on-base percentage. Notaro amassed nine RBIs on the week as Western defeated High Point and UNC Asheville in non-conference play and took two-of-three SoCon games from The Citadel.
Masters, a junior from Marietta, Ga., struck out a career-best 11 batters in his first career complete game Saturday, holding The Citadel to a single run while scattering six base hits in a 3-1 win. The left-hander limited the potent Bulldogs offensive line up to a .188 batting average and improved his season record to 3-1 with a team-leading 3.19 ERA.
The SoCon’s weekly awards are voted on by the league’s baseball sports information directors.
Other hitters earning consideration for the award were Elon’s Cory Harrilchak, The Citadel’s Bryan Altman, College of Charleston’s Joey Bergman, Wofford’s Konstantine Diamaduros, Georgia Southern’s Kevin Bowles, UNC Greensboro’s Brent O’Berry and Samford’s Wayne Miller.
Other pitchers nominated were College of Charleston’s Nick Osterman, UNC Greensboro’s Greg Smith, Elon’s Ken Ferrer, Wofford’s Scott Summers, Davidson’s Matt Webb, The Citadel’s Wes Wrenn, Georgia Southern’s Kyle Kamppi and Appalachian State’s Josh Dowdy.
2009 SoCon Baseball Players of the Week
Feb. 23 Joash Brodin, College of Charleston
March 2 Justin Hilt, Elon
March 9 Griffin Benedict, Georgia Southern
March 16 Richard Jones, The Citadel
March 23 Stephen Notaro, Western Carolina
2009 SoCon Baseball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 23 Zach Garrett, The Citadel
March 2 Daniel Ottone, Western Carolina
March 9 David Peterson, College of Charleston
March 16 Jesse Simpson, College of Charleston
March 23 Chris Masters, Western Carolina
