HOLLY SPRINGS – The Coastal Plain League announced today that Martinsville’s John Rittenhouse and Lexington County’s Austin Williamson were named the Hitter and Pitcher of the Week respectively for the seventh week (July 10 – July 16) of the 2023 CPL season. CPL Players of the Week are brought to you by TrackMan Baseball, providing players and coaches next-generation analytical data all season long.

Rittenhouse put on a show offensively this past week. Swinging .480 overall, he racked up 12 hits, including a double and a league-best seven — yes, seven — home runs. He also led the league in runs scored (10), RBIs (17), slugging percentage (1.360) and OPS (1.912). The sophomore third baseman from Patrick & Henry Community College also drew 3 walks, was hit by a pitch once and had an on-base percentage of .552. Overall on the season, he is slashing .282/.706/.344 with 24 hits, three doubles, 11 dingers, 18 runs and 30 RBIs.

On the mound, Williamson was also impressive, throwing a complete game shutout for the Blowfish against Forest City on July 14. The 6-3, 220-pound right-hander at South Carolina pitched seven innings of one-hit baseball, walked three and struck out seven as he finished 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Further, he held opposing batters to a lousy .048 average, while sporting a 0.57 WHIP and 9.000 K/9 on the week. Thus far in 2023, he is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA through five starts. In 24 innings on the bump for the Blowfish, Williamson has given up 11 runs — 8 earned — on 19 hits, 13 walks and 18 strikeouts.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 177 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.