FRISCO, Texas – New Orleans’ Pearce Howard is the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week and UIW starter Michael Garza earns Pitcher of the Week honors, the league announced Tuesday. Weekly awards are presented by GEICO.
The league leader in RBI (11), Howard continued to produce for the Privateers, driving in five runs to help the squad take two-of-three from Big 12 foe Kansas over the weekend. UNO (5-1) hits the road for a four-game roadtrip, starting with a midweek tilt against No. 7 LSU at 6:30 p.m. CT Wednesday. From there, the Privateers will visit ULM for a three-game series beginning with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday.
Garza (1-0) spun a gem on the mound in the Cardinals’ finale against South Dakota State, helping to secure a series victory with a 1-0 decision. The senior tossed seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, no walks and just two hits. UIW (2-2) hosts former Southland counterpart Abilene Christian at 4 p.m. Wednesday before visiting Houston for a three-game series that gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Hitter of the Week – Pearce Howard, New Orleans – Senior – Outfielder – Silver Spring, Md.
Howard set the tone for the weekend with a two-run shot in the first inning of UNO’s series-opening win over the Jayhawks. He picked up another RBI in the following frame, reaching on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded that put the game out of reach. Howard put a bow on the weekend with two more runs driven in in the finale, including an RBI double to put the Privateers ahead by five in the middle innings. This is his second career weekly award.
Honorable Mention: Edgar Alvarez, Nicholls; Brad Burckel, McNeese; Ridge Rogers, UIW; Rhett Rosevear, Southeastern.
Pitcher of the Week – Michael Garza, UIW – Senior – Pitcher – Corpus Christi, Texas
Garza struck out a pair of Jackrabbits in each of the first two frames and, after getting a single run from his offense, cruised from there to the 1-0 victory. He never allowed a SDSU batter to reach second base as the Jacks were 0-for-4 at the plate with a runner on. Garza never slowed toward the end of his outing, facing the minimum over the final three innings with two more punchouts. This marks the first career weekly honor for Garza.
Honorable Mention: Daniel Dugas, Southeastern; Grant Rogers, McNeese; Caleb Seroski, New Orleans; Tyler Theriot, Nicholls.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.
2022 Southland Baseball Players of the Week
March 1 – Pearce Howard, New Orleans/Michael Garza, UIW
Feb. 22 – Jake Miller, HBU/Grant Rogers, McNeese
{Courtesy: release from the Southland Conference}
