Atlanta, GA—Benedict third baseman/catcher Brandon Gipson and junior Eric Cordova have been named SIAC Baseball East Division Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week respectively. Stillman third baseman Josiah Yance and Tuskegee outfielder Cameron Duncan have been named SIAC West Division Co-Players of the Week while Stillman left-hander Josh Cagle was named SIAC West Division Pitcher of the Week.
Gipson is named the east’s top player for the fourth time this season after batting an astonishing .813 from the plate with 13 hits, including two home runs, a triple, and three doubles, in five games. The 6-5 senior had a 1.500 slugging percentage with four RBIs and nine runs scored. The Detroit, MI, native had an on-base percentage of .692 with nine stolen bases on ten attempts. Defensively, he was also impressive with a fielding percentage of .966. He helped lead the Tigers to their 14th straight win by defeating Morris College, twice, and sweeping Albany State in their three-game weekend series.
Cordova pitched nine total innings, including a complete game, with 14 strikeouts and no walks in two appearances. The Los Angeles, CA native went 1-0 with a save and a 2.99 ERA for the week.
Duncan, a native of Alpine, AL, batted .500 with eight hits, including a home run, a triple, and a double, and .875 slugging percentage. The 6-0 freshman scored eight runs and drove in two more runs. He had on-base percentage of .579 with four stolen bases. He also had a fielding percentage of 1.000 while helping lead the Golden Tigers to a 4-1 record for the week, including victories over Lane, Division I Alabama State, and Miles, twice.
Yance had seven hits and a .538 batting average in four games, including batting .600 with six hits, six runs scored and five RBIs in the Tigers three-game sweep over LeMoyne-Owen. The Dothan, AL native tied an NCAA Division II record with three hits in one inning. Yance becomes the 13th Division II player to record three hits in an inning, the last since Dylan Schuch and Drew Cross of St. Edwards College did it in 2009. Yance also helped the Tigers break two other school records including most runs in a game (38) and most runs scored in an inning (18).
Cagle recorded his fifth straight complete game victory and came within two outs of a perfect game in Stillman’s 5-0 win over LeMoyne-Owen. The Brookwood, AL native improved his overall record to 6-2 on the season while throwing 16 strikeouts, including a career-high 15 against the Magicians, and no walks.