PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the final winners of the league’s weekly baseball honors for the 2019 season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pat Winkel * Fr. * C/DH * UConn
Winkel drove in 11 runs and hit .500 (9-for-18) in a 3-1 week to close the regular season. The rookie catcher had three multi-hit performances, including a 4-for-5 effort with seven RBIs, a double and a home run in the series opener at Tulane Thursday. He followed with a 3-for-5 outing, three RBIs and another double in a series-clinching win over the Green Wave Friday. Winkel started the week with two hits, a double and an RBI in the Huskies’ midweek regular season finale Tuesday at Rhode Island.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Jake Agnos * Jr. * LHP * ECU
Agnos earns his fourth American Pitcher of the Week accolade this season after striking out 10 in 5.0 innings in a 19-10 Game 1 win over Memphis Thursday. The junior southpaw improved to an American-best 8-2 this season and has reached double-digit strikeouts five times on the way to setting a conference and school record with 124 Ks on the year. Agnos, who averages 13.45 strikeouts per nine innings, hasn’t given up an earned run in his past four outings and last 31 innings pitched. Striking out the side in the second and third innings, he had at least one punch out in all five frames.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Dallas Beaver * Jr. * C/DH * UCF
Beaver slugged .833 and hit .444 (8-for-18) with eight RBIs, two home runs, seven runs scored and a double. He turned in two multi-hit showings during a 3-1 week, going 4-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored in UCF’s 11-10 extra-inning walk off win over Houston in the series finale Saturday. He also went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, a homer and three runs scored to start the week in a 13-10 win over Florida Atlantic (RV).
Grant Schuermann * R-Sr. * LHP * UCF
Schuermann picked up his sixth win of the year after dealing 8.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in an 8-0 shutout victory to open the series against Houston Thursday night. The southpaw scattered four hits and two walks.
Thomas Francisco * Fr. * DH * ECU
Francisco led the Pirates at the plate in a 3-1 week, batting .636 (7-for-11). He tallied multiple in each game of the series against Memphis and drove in four runs on the week, which included two during the series opener. Francisco registered a career-high three hits in Friday’s series clincher where he went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Chase Solesky * Sr. * RHP * Tulane
Solesky scattered one run over 7.0 innings on three hits and two walks in Saturday’s 8-6 win over UConn in the series finale. He struck out four, picking up his sixth win to close the regular season.
Clayton McGinness * Sr. * RHP * Wichita State
McGinness earned his second-straight victory on the mound after tossing seven innings and allowing just two earned runs on five hits with a career-high eight strikeouts and only two walks in Wichita State’s 7-6 series-opening win at USF Thursday. The Shockers went on to win the series finale, taking two of three from USF, and earned the final bid to The American Baseball Championship.