FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
NEW ORLEANS – For the second-straight week and the third time this season Middle Tennessee’s Bryce Brentz is the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Player of the Week, while Louisiana-Lafayette’s Zach Osborne picks up his second Pitcher of the Week citation of the 2009 campaign.
Brentz led Middle Tennessee to a 3-2 record last week, including a 10-6 win at SEC foe Mississippi State and a series triumph at fellow Sun Belt member South Alabama. The Knoxville, Tennessee native hit a stellar .636 (9-14) in the Blue Raiders’ five contests with three doubles, a pair of homers and nine RBI. He also had an on-base percentage of .900 and a slugging percentage of 1.375. It is the second straight week Brentz hit .600 or better in five games. The sophomore also worked four innings on the mound against the Jaguars on Friday night, allowing just three runs on seven hits. On the season, Brentz is batting nearly .500 (51-75) with a dozen doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 55 RBI. Moreover, he is listed among the top-10 players nationally in four statistical categories, including batting average, home runs per game, home runs and slugging percentage.
Osborne tossed Louisiana-Lafayette’s first complete game of the season against Troy in shut out fashion, dominating the Sun Belt’s hottest offense with his four-hit outing to snap the Trojans’ nine-game winning streak and halt a six-game conference skid for the Ragin’ Cajuns. In his nine innings of work, the Houston, Texas native also struck out four without surrendering a single walk. With the shutout, Osborne not only dropped his own ERA from 4.15 to 3.49, but single-handedly lowered the team’s from 5.30 to 5.16. The junior, right-handed-hurler, has also registered a 3-2 record on the season, with one save and 36 strikeouts. Through games of Sunday, April 26, Osborne has the fourth-best overall ERA in the Sun Belt and the best ERA against conference opponents, at 2.74.
