2014 POTW

Pitcher of the Year:
Michael Morrison (Coastal Carolina) Florence RedWolves:
Heading into his junior season at Coastal Carolina in the fall, this was Morrison’s first taste of collegiate summer baseball and he was impressive to say the least. The 6-2, 190-pound right-hander posted a 0.36 ERA during the regular season, allowing only one earned run on 11 hits in 24 2/3 innings pitched. He only walked seven batters in that time, while striking out 29. Furthermore, the West Division All-Star held opponent batters to a meager .139 average against him, while sporting a WHIP of 0.73. With all of that in mind, it was Morrison’s dominance as a closer that really factored in for the RedWolves. In 23 regular season appearances, he recorded a league-high 18 saves and contributed to three combined shutouts. His 18 saves tied former Fayetteville SwampDogs pitcher Luke Prihoda (2006) for the all-time regular season CPL record. Morrison’s strong play helped the RedWolves claim the top seed in the West Division in the Petitt Cup Playoffs. During the playoffs he finished with a perfect 0.00 ERA, not allowing a single earned run, while earning three saves and striking out 11 over 8 1/3 innings pitched.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 10):
Quinn Atwood (Texas State) Wilson Tobs:
With the playoffs on the line, Atwood had his best game of the season on the mound. The sophomore from Texas State did not allow a hit until the final inning of the first game of a double-header with Wilmington when the Sharks’ Nate Moorhouse ended Atwood’s no-hit bid with a double. Atwood finished off the seven-inning complete game shutout without allowing another hit and striking out two for a .048 opponent’s batting average.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 9):
Josh Reagan (South Carolina) Columbia Blowfish:
In a near perfect performance, Reagan, tossed seven scoreless innings versus Wilson on June 22. The freshman from the University of South Carolina gave up just one hit to the Tobs’ first batter of the game Adam Pate on an infield-single. From then on he did not allow another hit and struck out seven batters for a pristine .053 opponent’s batting average. Reagan now sits in the top five of five different league categories, including a 1.83 ERA, .190 opponent’s batting average, 26 total hits allowed, nine runs allowed, and only eight earned runs given up all season.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 8):
Shawn Clowers (Liberty) Peninsula Pilots:
On the mound, Shawn Clowers, was almost unhittable for the Pilots, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up his one and only hit of the night. In total, the junior out of Liberty tossed seven and two-third innings striking out ten batters for a stout .045 opponent’s batting average. In his three appearances since arriving in Hampton, Va., Clowers has pitched 15 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts for the Pilots.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 7):
Ryan Otero (Miami) Gastonia Grizzlies:
Otero, was brilliant on the mound tossing a seven-inning complete game shutout in the first game of a double header for the Grizzlies on July 11. The red-shirt sophomore from the University of Miami struck out five while allowing only one extra-base hit and three total hits for a .130 opponent’s batting average. His big week left him with the top overall opponent’s batting average on the season across the league at .164.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 6):
Nick Hedge (Penn State) Martinsville Mustangs:
Hedge a sophomore from Penn State, was about as dominant as a pitcher can be on June 5 versus Columbia. His team went on to lose in extra-innings but his effort could not be ignored as he tossed nine shutout innings allowing only one hit and striking out six for a .037 opponent’s batting average. In his first appearance of the season for Martinsville, Hedge did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and used only 89 pitches over the course of his nine innings pitched.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 5):
Christian Slazinik (Eastern Illinois) Wilson Tobs:
On the mound Slazinik, a redshirt-junior out of Eastern Illinois, was dominant for the Tobs in week five, tossing eight shutout innings versus Wilmington on June 26. The 6-0, 190 pound left-hander allowed only five hits on the night while striking out eight for a tough .172 opponent’s batting average. Slazinik now leads the league in ERA at 1.09 and is tied for first with Fayetteville’s Jordy Farthing in earned runs allowed, having given up only three earned runs all season.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 4):
Josh Roeder (Nebraska) Edenton Steamers:
Roeder, a junior from the University of Nebraska, became the first closer this season to earn Pitcher of the Week honors. He did it with dominating stuff out of the pen for the Steamers, striking out nine of the 13 total batters he faced. In total on the week, Roeder tossed four innings of scoreless baseball allowing only one hit for a .077 opponents batting average. The 5-11, 180-pound right-hander also notched three saves, pushing him to four on the season after arriving late due to the Cornhuskers run in NCAA postseason play.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 3):
Jared Cheek (Georgia) Gastonia Grizzlies:
On the mound, Cheek continued his reign as one of the best pitchers in the league by tossing a seven-inning complete-game shutout against Forest City on June 10. The junior out of the University of Georgia allowed only one hit and struck out 11 for an opponent’s batting average of .045. After three weeks of play, Cheek sits atop six different pitching categories:  ERA (0.45), opponent batting average (.079), strikeouts (27), hits allowed (5), runs allowed (1), and earned runs allowed (1).

Pitcher of the Week (Week 2):
Robbie Baker (Richmond) Columbia Blowfish:
Baker had a busy and impressive week for the Columbia Blowfish, going 2-0 in two games started and 16 total innings pitched. The freshman from the University of Richmond was most impressive on June 7 when he tossed the CPL’s first complete-game shutout of the season against Forest City. In total on the week Baker allowed nine hits, three runs, and one walk while striking out 10 for a .158 opponents batting average and an overall ERA of 1.69. Standing at 6-1, 185 pounds, the lanky right-hander now leads the league in innings pitched on the year with 18.

Pitcher of the Week (Week 1):
Joe O’Donnell (N.C. State) Wilmington Sharks:
On the mound, O’Donnell was near perfect for the Wilmington Sharks, making an appearance as both a starter and a reliever in week one. While the N.C. State freshman had eight total innings pitched, the most impressive of those was his seven-inning performance against Morehead City on May 31. The right-hander allowed a single hit in the first inning and did not allow another base runner the rest of his time in the game, retiring 19 straight batters before being removed after seven innings. In total, O’Donnell was 1-0 with a pristine 0.00 ERA, allowing only one hit, zero walks and striking out four, giving him an impressive .040 opponents batting average on the week.