7/12/05 – Valley Baseball League News
VBL Weekly Honors – July 12, 2005 Northern Division Player of the Week honors went to sophomore shortstop Nate Hall (Western Carolina) of Front Royal and freshman outfielder Jamie McOwen (Florida International) of Luray. Both players posted a league best .583 (7-for-12) batting average for the week while leading their clubs to a perfect 3-0 record. Hall scored three runs and had three RBIs while hitting a pair of home runs for the week. Hall also posted the highest slugging percentage for the week at 1.083. McOwen also knocked in three RBIs while hitting a double, the strong week by McOwen kept himself atop the league in overall batting average at .363 for the summer. Sophomore southpaw Matt Foard (Charlotte) of Haymarket picked up the Northern Division Pitcher of the Week honors after helping the Battle Cats to a 2-1 week. Foard went 1-0 for the week while tossing a complete game four-hitter shutout against Staunton on July 5th. The 49er struck out five Braves and walked none in the 8-0 win. Southern Division Freshman outfielder Bo Davis (Southern Mississippi) earned Southern Division Player of the Week honors after leading the Covington Lumberjacks to a 2-1 week. Davis batted .444 (4-for-9) in the three games, while scoring a run and knocking in three RBIs. Pitcher of the Week in the Southern Division was Harrisonburg’s junior right-hander Eric Fussell (St. Joseph’s). Fussell picked up a win while pitching a complete game to defeat New Market 6-1 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on July 9th. In nine innings of work, Fussell struck out 10 Rebel batters while walking none and allowed only six hits. After giving up a solo blast in the second inning, Fussell was able to silence the Rebels offense for the rest of the game.