Photo Credit: School Files
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
NEW ORLEANS – ULM’s Perry Smith and Middle Tennessee’s Chad Edwards have been named the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as decided on by the league’s member institutions.
Smith led ULM to a three-game sweep of in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette last week, snapping the red-hot Cajuns’ seven-game win stretch and bettering the Warhawks place in the conference standings. Smith hit .556 for the weekend with seven RBI and a double, including his perfect 2-for-2 performance with three RBI against UL-Lafayette’s ace Zach Osbourne. The junior right fielder averaged 2.3 RBIs per game for the week and only got two at-bats in the series finale before being hit in the chin with the ball forcing him to miss the rest of the game. In the series opener, Smith was 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBI and a stolen base.
Smith is hitting .375 on the season, registering 24 hits – four for extra bases – in his 64 at-bats for the Warhawks this season. He has also collected 19 RBI and two stolen bases.
The Warhawks have now won 11 of 13 games overall, including eight of 10 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Edwards helped Middle Tennessee get back on track last week, halting the Blue Raiders’ three-game skid with an 8-0 shutout of SEC competitor Vanderbilt in Murfreesboro. The junior right-hander allowed just six Commodore hits during his complete-game effort, while striking out three. The Kentucky native picked up the first complete game shutout by a Blue Raider since Matt Scott accomplished the same feat on March 13, 2005. The nine-inning outing also marked the longest of Edwards’ career.
Edwards is a perfect 5-0 in his seven appearances on the mound this season. He has posted a 4.05 ERA in his 40.0 innings of work, including 22 strikeouts.
Middle Tennessee is currently 24-8 overall and 13-5 against Sun Belt foes.
