Nick Morreale, Georgetown
Key Series Victories For Seton Hall, Georgetown Earn Players Shedler-McAvoy, Morreale #BIGEASTbase Honors
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Tyler Shedler-McAvoy, Seton Hall, Jr. OF (Allendale, N.J.)
Seton Hall junior Tyler Shedler-McAvoy led the Pirates with a .529 batting average last week, batting .538 (7-for-13) in SHU’s first league series victory of the season. The Pirates won two from Butler in Queens last week, earning a come-from-behind win in extras in game one of a Saturday doubleheader, 9-8 (10); then winning the rubber match on Sunday, 9-4. Shedler-McAvoy reached base at least three times in all four Seton Hall contests last week, the Pirates lost 5-2 against Penn in midweek action. The centerfielder went 4-for-6 with three doubles, three runs scored and an RBI in Saturday’s opener against Butler. He became the first Pirate to hit three doubles in a single game in over five years. In game two of the twinbill, he belted out two more hits with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base. In the finale on Sunday to clinch the series, Shedler-McAvoy reached base three more times, going 1-for-3 with two walks, a run scored a stolen base. For the week, Shedler-McAvoy’s stats included .765 slugging and a .619 on-base percentage.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Nick Morreale, Georgetown, Jr., RHP (Lake Elmo, Minn.)
Georgetown junior righty Nick Morreale had a career day on Saturday as he earned the win in a 2-1 victory over visiting St. John’s, clinching the series. Morreale pitched a personal best 8.0 innings with 14 strikeouts. He allowed just one unearned run to score as he scattered seven hits and had three walks. Morreale struck out two batters in each of the first four innings. His win Saturday helped Georgetown to its first series win over St. John’s since 2009. Georgetown is 5-4 in the conference and sits at third in the league standings with three weekends to go.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Harrison Freed, Butler, Jr., OF
Freed batted .375 (9-for-24) in a 3-2 week for Butler. Freed knocked in seven runs, five in a league series against Seton Hall, and crossed the plate three times. He hit a double and a home run, both in the series opener against the Pirates. The Bulldogs lost the series 1-2, two of the games went to extra innings.
Denson Hull, Creighton, Sr., LHP
Hull pitched 7.0 innings in a shutout win over Xavier in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday to tie the series. Hull allowed just three hits and struck out five, walked one in the 5-0 victory. In midweek action against Nebraska, Hull pitched 2.1 innings of relief, struck out two and allowed no runs.
Jacob Grzebinski, Georgetown, So., LHP
Grzebinski was the lone reliever used out of the bullpen by Georgetown over the weekend in the Hoyas’ first ever three-game sweep of St. John’s. He did not allow a run to score in 4.0 innings pitched, only allowed three base runners and struck out five. He was credited with three saves in the series win.
John Heilenbach, Villanova, Jr., 3B
Heilenbach batted .400 (4-for-10) in a 1-3 non-league week. He knocked in three runs and scored three times with a double and six walks.
Jake Shepski, Xavier, Grad Student, OF
Shepski went 7-of-16 (.438) in a 3-1 week for the Musketeers, including four hits in the series victory at Creighton. In XU’s 8-1 win over Creighton on Friday, Shepski went 2-of-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles, collecting an RBI and scoring three runs for the Musketeers. Shepski went 2-of-4 with an RBI in Xavier’s 3-1 win in the series finale with Creighton to seal the series win.