Baseball Player of the Week: Ian King, Columbus State
King hit .600 in four games last week with a double, a home run and two RBIs. The junior catcher from Monroe, Ga., hit .636 in a three-game sweep of Flagler, going 3-for-5 int he opener with a double. He was 2-for-3 in the second game with a two-run home run and then went 2-for-3 again in the third game, scoring two runs. He was also 2-for-4 in the midweek win against Spring Hill. He had an .867 slugging percentage on the week and drew three walks without striking out for a .667 on-base percentage. King is currently second on the team with a .324 batting average.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week: Rijnaldo Euson, Georgia Southwestern
Euson threw a no-hitter in GSW's win over Claflin in game two of their series on Saturday. The sophomore lefty from Haines City, Fla., allowed four walks and struck out 12 over seven innings, facing just four batters over the minimum. It is the first no-hitter thrown in the Peach Belt since GSW's Tucker Smith did it against Claflin in March of 2021 and only the sixth no-hitter ever thrown in a PBC conference game. Euson issued a walk with two outs in the first inning, the proceeded to retire the next 14 Panthers in order until another walk in the sixth as he improved to 2-0 on the season.
Baseball Freshman of the Week: Justin Byrd, USC Aiken
Byrd hit .381 with a .714 slugging percentage in five games last week. The freshman second baseman from Oconee, Ga., had two home runs and six RBIs as he collected at least one hit in every game. He opened the week with a home run against Newberry and added another in his next game against Francis Marion. He collected hits in each of USCA's three-game sweep of North Georgia, driving in a pair and doubling in game two. He also pitched a scoreless ninth inning of relief, allowing no hits and one walk. Byrd is currently tied for third in the PBC with three home runs, tie for sixth in doubles and is ninth in slugging percentage.
For a complete list of baseball weekly award winners, please click here.