The Sun Conference Players of the Week 3/26/18
Donnie Smith
The following student-athletes were honored as players of the week in their respective sports for competitions ending March 26, 2018.
BASEBALL
Pitcher: Jonathan Bermudez of Southeastern
Bermudez threw a complete game no-hitter Friday night, helping the Fire defeat Warner 7-0. The junior faced the minimum number of hitters, striking out 16 of the 27 faced to mark his fourth consecutive start with 13 or more strikeouts. The lone base runner Bermudez allowed was a walk to the second hitter of the game, but was retired on a double play. He's now 9-0 on the year with an ERA of 0.82, and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 31.2 innings of work. Bermudez leads the NAIA in wins, ERA, opponent batting average (.121), and hits per nine (3.62).
Player: Dan Valerio of Southeastern
Valerio helped the Fire sweep Warner with six hits during the three-game series. The junior added two doubles, two homers, and drove in nearly half of the team's runs on the weekend. Additionally, Valerio swiped four bases. He's now the national leader in doubles with 18, RBIs (54), total bases (104), and hits (59). His 19 stolen bases rank 14th nationally.
GOLF
Men: Alberto Uriach of Webber International
Round one score of 65 (-5) was shot on par-70, 6,101-yard Scarlet Course while round two score of 75 (+3) was shot on par-72, 6,883-yard Gold Course. Helped Webber advance to championship round at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune while impressively tying for second overall in a field of mostly NCAA teams. Uriach was tied for first after round one with a score of 65, Webber’s best single-round score by any player all season. In the end, Uriach second-place finish was the lowest finish for any Webber golfer so far this season in tournament action.
Women: Michaela Fabiankova of Keiser
Fabiankova claimed her second collegiate title this afternoon. The freshman finished as the lone player under at par, one-under (71-72).
SOFTBALL
Pitcher: Lauren West of Thomas
West gave up only 6 hits and 1 unearned run in 14.1 innings this week, recording a 2-0 record with 1 save. She has posted a 0.21 ERA in conference games so far this season.
Player: Kelsey Connolly of Thomas
Connolly was 6-11 this week, including 2 doubles and 2 HRs. Saturday was a big day for the senior, as she had the game winning hit in extra innings in game one against Keiser, then blasted a 3-run HR and a grand slam in game two as part of her 10 RBI week. The reigning TSC Player of the year is batting .341 with 7 HRs and 32 RBI on the year.
TENNIS
Men: Vicente Lagos, Keiser
Lagos defeated the No. 2 player in the country this past weekend at Georgia Gwinnett. The doubles setback was the first of the season for the sophomore.
Women: Aleksandra Grela, Keiser
Grela went 4-0 on the week in singles and doubles against an NCAA Division 1 team and the top team in the NAIA. In doubles against GGC, Grela helped beat the No. 11 team and remained unbeaten in singles matches.
TRACK & FIELD
Men’s Field: Dakari Hill of Webber International
Freshman Dakari Hill debuted in the outdoor high jump this past week, finishing tied for 10th out of 16 with a conference qualifying jump of 1.90 meters (6’2.75”). He is currently ranked No. 1 in conference in the high jump. Also ran the final leg for both of Webber's second teams in the 4x100 meter relay and in the 4x400 meter relay.
Men’s Track: Jacob Nkamasiai of Keiser
Jacob qualified for nationals in the 10,000 meter with a time of 31:02.51.
Women’s Field: Samantha Davila of Webber International
Freshman Samantha Davila was 12th out of 25 in the shot put (11.71m/38’5”), was 16th out of 21 in the discus (34.59m/113’6”), was 11th out of 15 in the javelin with a personal record of 30.24 meters (99’2”), and also had a personal record in the hammer at 30.01 meters (98’5"). She is currently ranked first in the shot put, second in the discus, third in the javelin and fifth in the hammer in the conference.
Women’s Track: Julia Kaster of Southeastern
Kaster clinched a return trip to the NAIA National Championship by hitting the "B" standard with a 17:47 to finish second in a field of 44 runners, and was one of just three to break 18:00.