CHARLOTTE, N.C. - VMI first baseman Robert Crumpler (Suffolk, Va.) has been selected as the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Baseball Player of the Week for games played March 13-19, while Keydet sophomore hurler Trey Barham (Portsmouth, Va.) has been named New Balance Pitcher of the Week, it was announced Monday by the League office.
Crumpler batted .533 (8-15) in four games last week, including .500 (6-12) in the Keydets' Big South series win over Charleston Southern. He hit safely in each contest while having three multi-hit performances in four games as VMI went 3-1. Crumpler had four RBI and a home run in VMI's game one win over CSU, recorded two hits and two runs in game two and tallied three hits in the finale. He scored two runs in all but the last game, and finished the week with an .867 slugging percentage, .632 on-base average, seven runs scored, five runs batted in, two doubles, two walks and two hit-by-pitches.
Crumpler currently ranks among the top seven in the Big South in batting average (.392), slugging percentage (.622) and on-base percentage (.500). He also ranks second on the team with three home runs, 12 walks and 19 RBI.
Barham (4-1) tossed his first career complete game over the weekend - a two-hitter to defeat Charleston Southern in the Keydets' Big South opener. He surrendered only a third-inning single and a fifth-inning double, while the only run he permitted was unearned. After the third-inning single, Barham retired 18 of the next 19 batters before issuing a ninth-inning walk. His six strikeouts increased his team-leading total to 44 in 39.1 innings of work. Barham's line against the Buccaneers: 9 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0.00 ERA.
Barham currently ranks second in the Big South in strikeouts, starts (7) and wins (tied), while also ranking among the top ten in opponents' batting average (.222) and innings pitched.
This marks the first time that Keydets have ever won a conference's Player and Pitcher of the Week awards in the same week. Crumpler, who earned the honor once last season, joins teammates Klint Reed (Feb. 14) and Kelly Sweppenhiser (Feb. 21), who each have been named Big South Player of the Week earlier this season. Barham becomes VMI's first Pitcher of the Week honoree since J.J. Hollenbeck earned the honor in March of last season.
Other Player of the Week nominees: Scott Billak (Birmingham-Southern), Brant Peacher (Coastal Carolina), Mark Shorey (High Point), Phillip Laurent (Liberty), Aaron Ranft (Radford), Kevin Mattison (UNC Asheville) and Chris Carrara (Winthrop).
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees: David Horne (Birmingham-Southern), Ryan Sowers (Charleston Southern), Austin Fleet (Coastal Carolina), Michael Solbach (Liberty), Justin Morgan (Radford), Graham Baughn (UNC Asheville) and Josh McDonald (Winthrop).
Release courtesy Big South Office of Public Relations
