Southern League Names Hitter and Pitcher of the Week
June 4, 2007 - Southern League (SL1) News Release
Hitter of the Week
JUSTIN UPTON, OF, MOBILE BAYBEARS
Since being promoted to the BayBears on May 14, Upton has left no doubt as to why the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him first overall in the 2005 draft. In his third week at the Double-A level, the 19-year-old Upton led the Southern League in hits (14), average (.519), on-base percentage (.563) and slugging (.889). Upton fell a double shy of hitting for the cycle on May 28 in an 11-inning 8-5 loss to Carolina. In the first game of a doubleheader three days later, the native of Chesapeake, VA hit a game-tying two-run homer with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning to set the stage for teammate Carlos Gonzalez' game-winning blast an inning later. Upton added four hits, including a pair of doubles, and two RBI as the BayBears concluded the five-game series against the Mudcats with an 8-3 victory on Friday. Upton capped the week by going 3-for-3 at Jacksonville, extending his hitting streak to nine games and raising his average to .400 in 20 Double-A games. Upton has needed just 75 at-bats in the Southern League to produce 16 extra-base hits, including seven home runs. His brother B.J., who is the starting second baseman for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, had 19 extra-base hits in 209 at-bats in the circuit from 2003-04.
AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB AVG
Upton 27 8 14 7 2 1 2 2 .519
Pitcher of the Week
CHRIS MASON, RHP, MONTGOMERY BISCUITS
With two wins and a 0.69 ERA, Mason became the first two-time weekly award winner in the Southern League this season. The 22-year-old Mason allowed five hits and recorded seven strikeouts in seven innings of a 3-0 win at Huntsville, which scored 46 runs in the other four games of the series. Mason, who also was named the league's pitcher of the week on April 30, improved to 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA in six road starts this year. On Sunday, the native of Gastonia, NC allowed one run and six hits in six innings of a 4-2 victory against Carolina to emerge the Southern League's first eight-game winner this year. In addition to leading the circuit in wins, Mason ranks second in both ERA (2.31) and strikeouts (64) while tying for second in the league with 70 innings pitched.
W-L IP SO BB H ERA SV
Mason 2-0 13 12 3 11 0.69 0
Southern League Stories from June 4, 2007
- Nowak's homer lifts Biscuits past Mudcats in 10, 4-3 - Montgomery Biscuits
- Jones, Braves Walk-Off Again - Mississippi Braves
- Lookouts Almost Squeeze One Out - Chattanooga Lookouts
- Barons, Rain No Match For Smokies In 8-1 Win - Knoxville Smokies
- DiFelice Does the Job in Relief - Huntsville Stars
- Mudcats Roster Moves - Carolina Mudcats
- Suns Clinch Series Over BayBears with Monday Victory - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Suns overcome BayBears, 5-3 - Mobile BayBears
- Braves Suspend Mississippi Manager Phillip Wellman - Mississippi Braves
- Suns to be Featured on AT&T Real White Pages Cover - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Upton Wins SL Player of the Week - Mobile BayBears
- Southern League Names Hitter and Pitcher of the Week - SL1
- Stars Raise Money for Fight Against Cancer - Huntsville Stars
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