Radford University redshirt-senior outfielder Andrew Szamski has been named the Big South Conference Baseball Player of the Week for the second time this season. In addition, freshman second baseman David Bryant earned his second Freshman of the Week accolade.
The Highlanders’ right fielder put together a massive week in leading the team to a perfect 4-0 record, including a sweep of Winthrop at Carter Memorial Stadium.
The Glen Arm, Maryland enjoyed a .705/.684/1.235 slash line with two homers, three doubles and 12 RBI.
Szamski hit a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the ninth on Friday evening versus the Eagles and then made program history on Saturday afternoon. The Eastern Tech product went 6-for-6 with two doubles, two homers, eight RBI and 14 total bases on the day. The six hits and 14 total bases tied a Radford single-game record. The senior drove in two more runs on Sunday to finish the Winthrop series with 12 RBI.
Szamski leads the Big South in batting (.390), total bases (68) and is tied for the league-lead with 33 RBI. In addition, Szamski is second in slugging (.648) and third in on base percentage (.460).
Bryant hit .462 over the four-game stretch to raise his average to .307 on the season. The Johnson City, Tennessee native went 6-for-13 at the dish and drove in six runs. He also added a pair of stolen bases and racked up 15 assists from his second base position.
Bryant hit in all four games and drove in two runs in two different games against Winthrop as well as the mid-week game against Appalachian State.
For the second time in as many weeks Kayla Huffman has been tabbed Big South Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.
“Kayla has been pitching well all year, but she has hit an extra gear the past couple of weeks,” Radford Softball head coach Hope Creasy said. “She has started trending upward at the right time in the season and I know she can keep up this type of pitching.”
Huffman had a hand in every win the Highlanders had this week. She picked up her first two saves of the season against Virginia and Presbyterian. She also picked up the first two wins of the series against Presbyterian.
The King William native pitched one inning against Virginia after entering with the tying run at the plate. She recorded three straight outs and earned her first save of the season. Huffman then followed that outing with a complete game in the first contest of the series with Presbyterian. She racked up eight strikeouts on 89 pitches with two runs on just three hits and no walks.
Over the course of the entire week she only surrendered eight hits, one walk and four runs – three earned – and picked up 11 total strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched.
—RU Athletics