Sophomore Matt Crocker picked up a pair of wins out of UTSA's bullpen last week.
FRISCO Sophomore left-handed reliever Matt Crocker was tabbed the Southland Conference’s Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.
Crocker continued his stellar work out of UTSA’s bullpen last week, recording a pair of wins in the weekend series sweep at Nicholls. The Kingwood native tossed two perfect innings and struck out two in Friday’s 5-1 11-inning victory. He followed that performance with two more scoreless frames in Sunday’s 6-5 come-from-behind win. The southpaw fanned three in addition to allowing a hit and walking one batter in the Roadrunners’ 13th comeback victory of the season.
Crocker, who has recorded wins in three of his last six appearances, has been a dominant force the past two weeks, striking out 20 hitters in his 10.2 innings of work while allowing just seven hits (.179 BAA). He has not given up a run in his last seven frames and the last time he was scored upon was an unearned tally on April 18 against Lamar.
He owns a 3-0 record to go along with a 3.38 ERA in 14 appearances this season. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder has surrendered 17 hits, walked 10 and punched out 30 hitters in 21.1 innings pitched.
UTSA (25-18), winner of six in a row and seven of eight tilts overall, continues its seven-game road trip with a 4 p.m. doubleheader at No. 17 Baylor (25-17) on Tuesday.
Sean Meyers earned his first SLC Hitter of the Week on Monday.
FRISCO, Texas – Southland Conference officials announced Monday that SFA first baseman Sean Meyers has been named the league’s co-Hitter of the Week after a week that saw the ‘Jacks go 4-0.
The honor is the first of Meyers’ career and is the second time a Lumberjack has earned the weekly award. Brian Ferguson was named Hitter of the Week on April 6, also a first for him. Meyers shares the honor this week with Lamar’s Brian Taylor, who helped lead the Cardinals to a 4-0 week as well.
Meyers continued to swing a hot bat, increasing his average to .416 on the season with an 8-for-14 week that helped lead the ‘Jacks to four wins, including SFA’s first-ever win at Houston’s Cougar Field and a three-game sweep of UTA. The Conroe native scored a pair of runs and crushed his fifth home run of the season on Tuesday in SFA’s 11-7 win over Houston.
He then went 7-for-11 in three games against UTA, including a 3-for-4 performance in Friday’s opener against left-hander Ryan Robinson. Meyers hit his sixth home run of the season in that game, and added a double with two RBI in SFA’s 6-4 win. After a 2-for-3 outing in Saturday’s win, he reached base three more times including two more hits as the ‘Jacks completed the sweep in extra innings. For the week he had 18 plate appearances, reaching base in 12 of those appearances, while slugging 1.143 in the four games.
Meyers and the ‘Jacks continue Southland Conference play on Friday when they open a three-game series against Sam Houston State. SFA currently sits in eighth place in the league, 2. 5 games clear of ninth place and only a half-game back of Northwestern State for the seventh spot in the league.
Brian Taylor hit .526 with a .571 on-base pct. and an .895 slugging pct last week.
FRISCO, Texas – Lamar second baseman Brian Taylor has been named the Co-Hitter of the Week in the Southland Conference as announced by the league on Monday.
Taylor pounded out 10 hits and hit .526 last week as the Cardinals won their first game at Houston since 1992 before opening a six-game homestand with a series sweep over SLC rival Northwestern State, which marked their first series win and sweep over the Demons in six years.
He posted three multi-hit games, including a pair of 3-for-5 performances against the Cougars and in Sunday’s finale against the Demons. He hit a two-run blast in the first inning of a 12-3 win against Houston, and then after going 4-for-8 in the opening two games against Northwestern State, Taylor capped the week with a second-inning grand slam that erased the Demons early 2-0 lead and sparked LU to a 14-2 win..
This is the first weekly conference award for the senior from Cedar Park, Texas. Sean Meyers of Stephen F. Austin shares the honor with Taylor, who joins teammate Ricky Testa as weekly winners on the Cardinal team this season. Testa was the Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 23 and April 6.
Lamar remains at home for a midweek series against Louisiana-Monroe, beginning Tuesday at Vincent-Beck Stadium at 6:30 p.m. The teams will also play on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Lamar (25-18) will start right-hander Garrett Steward (1-1, 7.98 ERA) on Tuesday and ULM (25-18) will counter with righty Don Williams (41-, 5.40 ERA). This will be Steward’s first start of the season after seven appearances out of the bullpen, while Williams is third on the Warhawks’ roster with six starts.
Lamar leads the all-time series 29-18-1 and 19-7-1 in Beaumont. The Warhawks took a pair of midweek games, 12-3 and 10-1, in Monroe last March. Prior to those games, the teams had not played since both teams were members of the SLC, from 1999-2006 with ULM holding a 13-11 edge.
Tuesday is Big Red Fanfare Night for Cardinal Club members and Lamar student-athletes. Food provided by Courville’s will be available in the picnic area down the left field line.
