Will Oliver Named Frontier League Pitcher of the Week
July 27, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release
Evansville Otters Pitcher Will Oliver
(Evansville Otters)
Evansville, IN- Will Oliver tossed two nine-inning complete game shutouts this week and was honored as the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week today.
Oliver leads the Frontier League with a total of five, but before the week began, all of Oliver's complete games came as a part of doubleheaders, and were seven inning outings. Not so anymore. The righty-handed pitcher from San Diego, CA started off the Evansville Otters' week in impressive fashion; scattering just four hits and walking four by punching out nine in a complete game shutout against the Traverse City Beach Bums on Tuesday, a 6-0 win for the Otters.
That effort was going to be hard to replicate, and even harder to improve upon, but Oliver did just that. Because he started on Tuesday, it was Oliver's turn to go again on Sunday against the Washington Wild Things as the Otters were looking to complete the sweep. In an old-fashioned pitcher's duel, the Otters needed every pitch from Oliver to be his best.
Oliver ended up trumping his performance on Tuesday by shutting out the Wild Things on Sunday, this time allowing five hits, but walking just one batter and again, striking out nine while putting up a "Maddux," (a complete game shutout of less than 100 pitches- Oliver threw 97). The Otters won the series finale 1-0 with the only run coming home, an unearned run. Oliver's totals for the week: 18 IP, nine hits, no runs of any kind, five walks, and 18 strikeouts.
Oliver's is now the third different Otter with eight wins on the season; he joins Trevor Walch (8-3) and Efrain Nieves (8-2) atop the Frontier League Leaderboard in wins this season. Oliver can also be found at the top of the Innings Pitched column where he is second in the league with 83.2 IP, trailing only Matt Bywater's 86. Moreover, Oliver is second in ERA with a ludicrous 1.40, only behind fellow Otter Walch, who has somehow posted a 1.30. Plus, with 18 strikeouts this week, Oliver has catapulted into the top three in strikeouts with 78 on the season, although Matt Bywater is running away with the strikeout title with 101.
It is the second Frontier League award given to an Otter this season. Olive joins right-handed pitcher Trevor Walch as the only Otters to receive an award with Walch getting his honor in the week ending on May 31st. The Frontier League Player and Pitcher of the Week are chosen by Pointsteak, which is the official statistical provider of the Frontier League and the Independent Professional Baseball Federation.
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 Evansville Otters Pitcher Will Oliver |
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