The South Atlantic Conference Earns Southeast Region Co-Hitters of the Week

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Wingate's Bradley Brown and Albert Baur of Newberry were named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II Southeast Region Hitters of the Week, the organization announced recently.

Brown, a freshman from Rockingham, N.C., batted .583 with seven hits and three RBI to lead Wingate to a Conference series win over then No. 16 Lenoir-Rhyne last week.  He posted a pair of three-hit games and highlighted his series with three hits, a home run and three RBI in the series-opening win on Feb. 21.  He finished the set with three doubles and a slugging percentage of 1.083.  The honor is his first Player of the Week selection this season.

Baur, a redshirt senior from Philadelphia, Pa., becomes Newberry's first NCBWA Player of the Week since Bradley Nichols was bestowed the honor in March of 2013. He had an unforgettable week, even though it was cut short due to inclement weather. 

On Tuesday the left handed hitter went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in a 5-4 heartbreaking walk off loss to GRU Augusta in Augusta, Ga. He returned home on Wednesday and had a career outing against the Limestone Saints in a 20-5 rout at the Smith Road Complex. 

In his first at bat Baur walked and later scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning. Later in the first he ripped a 0-0 fastball to right center field and recorded a standup triple for his first hit of the afternoon, which also scored two runners. 

His next at bat came in the bottom of the third as he turned on a 1-1 pitch and scorched it down the left field line to tally a one-out double on which he later scored.  

An inning later he deposited a 2-2 breaking ball deep into the trees in right center field for a three-run home run and his third hit of the game. 

The same outcome arose after a Saint pitcher tried to sneak a first pitch fastball by Baur but watched it sail over the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth for another home run, this time a two-run shot to right field for his second blast of the game. 

He made his final stroll to the plate as the leadoff man in the bottom of the eighth inning and was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle, a feat that is the rarest accomplishment in baseball and the achievement of a lifetime for a hitter at any level.

Baur quickly found himself down in the hole with a 0-2 count. After battling back to even the count at 2-2, he hit a high hopper to the Saints' shortstop. A pen drop could be heard at the Smith Road Complex as Baur raced down the line and the infielder waited on the ball to come down. Thanks to Baur's hustle, he forced the fielder to bobble the ball and received his single to complete the unmatched task of hitting for the cycle.

For the game he finished with a perfect 5-for-5 effort at the plate with five runs scored and seven runs batted in. In the two games of the week Baur totaled seven hits in 10 plate appearances with a double, triple, two home runs, five runs scored, nine RBIs and 16 total bases.