Turks Recruiting ‘Devil’-ishly

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Duke University Coach Chris Pollard is no stranger to the Valley Baseball League.   He played for the Winchester Royals and knows the caliber of player it takes to compete in the VBL.  This summer, Pollard is sending three of his Blue Devils to Harrisonburg;  junior right-hand pitcher Robert Huber, sophomore second baseman Andy Perez, and freshman first baseman Jalen Phillips.

2013 Robert HuberRobert Huber, a 6-0 190 pound Duke Blue Devil currently this season has a 2-2 record with a 4.63 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work.  As a sophomore he was their third starter last year.  He posted a 4-6 record with a 5.19 ERA in 78.0 innings pitched, the second-most on the team.  He struck out 42 batters, the third-highest total on the team.  Huber received  ACC Pitcher of the Week, NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week and CBI Regional Pitcher of the Week honors and was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.  As a freshman Huber posted a 4-1 record with a 4.37  ERA.  He had 40 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work.  He was named to the All ACC Academic Team along with being named an ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.

Andy Perez, a 5-11 180 pounder from Roswell, GA saw action as a freshman at Duke hitting .270 on the year with 13 RBI and 19 runs scored2013 Andy Perez in 45 of the 55 games.   He was ranked fifth on the team with 44  hits and a .325 slugging percentage.  He posted 12 multi-hit games.  He also had four out of five stolen base attempts. Perez continues to make his presence felt in the lineup this year as a sophomore currently second leading hitter with a .333 BA  starting all 21 games with 78 AB, scoring 18 runs, pounding out 26 hits with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs and a 500 slugging percentage.

2013 Jalen PhillipsFreshman Jalen Phillips is a 6-1 205 pound first baseman.  He was a three-year letter winner at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, FL  He earned first team All-Metro honors as a junior.  In 2012, he was a Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Florida Region All High School Senior 2nd team selection and hit over .300 as a sophomore, junior and senior.  Jalen belted six home runs his junior season with a .325 batting average.