MIami Sluggers Tabbed Baseball America National Team of the Week
Miami catcher Alex Sosa and outfielder Derek Williams were named to Baseball America’s Week 1 National Team of the Week, the publication announced Tuesday.
The recognition comes after a historic opening weekend for the Hurricanes, who swept Lehigh while setting program records for runs scored in an inning (15) and total runs in a season-opening series (57).
Sosa, a transfer from NC State, made an immediate impact in his Miami debut. The catcher went 6-for-13 at the plate with three home runs, driving the Hurricanes’ offense throughout the three-game series. His three long balls were tied for the most by any catcher nationally during opening weekend and helped power Miami’s record-setting output.
Williams followed his own conference honor with national recognition after being named ACC Player of the Week earlier in the week. The senior reached base in 10 of his 14 plate appearances, launching two home runs and four doubles while driving in six runs. Williams provided consistent production in the middle of the lineup, recording multiple hits in each contest of the series.
Baseball America introduced its National Team of the Week this season to highlight the top individual performances across the country:
Baseball America Week 1 National Team of the Week
C: Alex Sosa, Miami
1B: Tyce Armstrong, Baylor
2B: Ethan Mendoza, Texas
3B: Jayson Jones, Wichita State
SS: Dee Kennedy, Kansas State
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
OF: Derek Williams, Miami
OF: Jake Brown, LSU
P: Cam Johnson, Oklahoma
P: Cooper Moore, LSU
P: Trevor Hansen, UC Irvine
P: Chris Olivier, Lamar
TWP: Kenny Ishikawa, Georgia
Miami returns to action Tuesday at Mark Light Field against UCF. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m., with live coverage available on ACCNX and radio broadcast on WVUM 90.5 FM
Derek Williams Tabbed ACC Player of the Week
After a dominant opening weekend at Mark Light Field, Miami outfielder Derek Williams has been named ACC Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
Williams powered the Hurricanes to a three-game sweep of Lehigh, batting .727 (8-for-11) with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored across the three-game series. The senior right fielder posted a 1.636 slugging percentage and a .714 on-base percentage, reaching base 10 times in 14 plate appearances.
Williams opened the season Friday with a 3-for-4 performance, including two doubles and a run driven in. He followed with a two-homer, three-RBI effort Saturday night, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring four times. In Sunday’s series finale, Williams collected three more hits in four at-bats, adding two doubles and two RBI to cap the weekend.
Batting in the fifth spot in all three games, Williams totaled 18 bases and struck out just once during the series. He recorded multiple hits in each contest and delivered six extra-base hits as Miami’s offense erupted for 57 runs during opening weekend, the most in an opening series in program history.
Williams and the Hurricanes return to Mark Light Field on Tuesday at 6 p.m. to face in-state foe UCF. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX and carried live on WVUM 90.5 FM.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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