Feb. 20, 2013

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference has named La Salle’s Kevin Baron Baseball Player of the Week, Andrew Blum of Richmond and Jimmy Yacabonis  of Saint Joseph’s Co-Pitchers of the Week and Noah Buettgen the league’s Rookie of the Week. The awards were announced Monday for games played during the week of Feb. 11-Feb. 17.

Baron, a sophomore shortstop from Towson, Md., batted .714 and had an on-base percentage of .750 in a 1-1 week for the Explorers. He was 5-for-7 at the plate in the two games, including a 4-for-4 performance against Wright State. He scored a run, had a double, an RBI and a stolen base in that game. In La Salle’s 8-7 win over Toledo, he scored a run and had a walk.

A junior from Plano, Texas, Blum got a win against Bucknell after throwing a seven-inning two-hitter. The only run he allowed was unearned and he struck out seven batters and didn’t walk any in the season-opening start. Bucknell batted .095 against Blum.

Yacabonis notched his first two career saves as the Hawks started the season 2-0 for the first time since 1999. He faced six batters across two games, fanning five of them. A junior from Matawan, N.J., he struck out the side on Saturday as the Hawks came from behind to earn a 5-4 win over Stetson.

Buettgen pitched five shutout innings before snow stopped his attempt for the win. The game ended in a five-inning tie, but the sophomore transfer from Liberty Township, Ohio, struck out three and only allowed three hits against Gardner-Webb.