PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly baseball honors for the week ending April 29.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Connor Hollis * Sr. * 2B * Houston
Hollis led Houston’s offense through a 3-1 week against four top-25 opponents, including a three-game sweep at No. 7 ECU to keep the Cougars at the top of The American’s standings. The senior second baseman extended his on-base streak to 17 consecutive games and batted .421 with eight hits, four RBIs, two doubles and four runs scored. He had three multi-hit games, including a 3-for-5 performance in the series opener against the Pirates where he hit a pair of doubles. Hollis had an RBI in three of the four games and recorded a two-out RBI twice in the series finale at ECU.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Jonathan Bowlan * Jr. * RHP * Memphis
Bowlan recorded his first career complete game in a record-setting performance to guide his team to an 8-2 Game 2 win at No. 20 USF. The junior righthander broke a conference and school record after fanning 18 batters in the victory. He scattered two earned runs on four hits, as his 18 strikeouts are the most by a NCAA Division I pitcher this season. Bowlan faced only four over the minimum, retiring the side in order six times. He retired 18-straight batters between the third and ninth innings.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Ray Alejo * R-So. * OF * UCF
Alejo batted .455 with five hits, five runs scored, three extra base hits and three RBIs, as UCF took two of three against No. 30 Wichita State over the weekend. The junior outfielder drove in three runs on a triple in the series opener and belted two doubles in his 3-for-3 Sunday rubber-match performance.
Joey Thomas * Sr. * C * Cincinnati
Thomas paced his team behind the plate through a three-game series sweep of Kansas, batting .429 with six hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. He went 4-for-7 with an RBI and also threw out three base runners in Game 2 to help his side clinch the series in a 13-inning 7-6 win.
Shane McClanahan * R-So. * LHP * USF
McClanahan fanned 13 while walking only two and scattering three hits over a season-long 7.0 innings against Memphis Friday, helping the Bulls win Game 1 of the weekend series, 4-2. It was McClanahan’s sixth game with double-digit strikeouts, as he retired the side in order four times.
Keagan Gillies * So. * RHP * Tulane
Gillies led the Green Wave to a 7-1 win at No. 20 UConn on Saturday. The sophomore from New Orleans struck out eight batters and scattered six hits and one walk. In the first five frames, Gillies allowed just two singles and one walk. After three straight hits in the sixth, he retired 11 of the final 13 batters, with the other two reaching on an error in the seventh and a single in the ninth. Gillies’ complete game was the first by a Tulane pitcher since 2016.
Luke Ritter * Jr. * OF/2B * Wichita State
Ritter had a powerful performance at the plate through a 2-2 week, going 7-for-17 (.412) with eight RBIs, five runs scored, one double, two home runs, and a sacrifice fly. He had a hit in all four games to push his career-best hitting streak to 17 games. In Tuesday’s win at Kansas, he went 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs, two runs scored a double and a home run. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and one run scored in Saturday’s Game 2 win at UCF.