FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech, which recorded three wins over ranked teams and earned its first-ever series victory over Florida State, made a sweep of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s weekly baseball honors. The Hokies’ Austin Wates was named the ACC Player of the Week, while Justin Wright received Pitcher of the Week honors for the second week in a row.
Wates was the Hokies’ offensive leader during a 4-1 week that saw them defeat No. 29 VMI, East Tennessee State (a team that was receiving votes in the coaches’ poll) and No. 4 Florida State twice. The junior led or tied for the team-lead in nearly every offensive category.
The outfielder from Richmond, Va., tallied a career-high five RBIs against ETSU, and went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in a Friday night win over FSU, the Hokies’ first win in Tallahassee since 1989. For the week, Wates hit .476 with a pair of homers and 10 RBIs. Five of his 10 hits went for extra bases, and he scored eight runs.
Wates has hit safely in 15 consecutive games, the longest active streak by an ACC player heading into this week’s action.
Wright tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts to lead Virginia Tech to the Friday road win. The victory was just the Hokies’ second over FSU in their last 27 tries.
Wright, a native of Montclair, Va., worked seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks to improve his season record to 4-3.
