Southern League Names Pitcher and Player of the Week for August 10-16
Published on August 17, 2015 under Southern League (SL1) News Release
MARIETTA, GA - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs announces its Pitcher and Player of the Week for August 10 through 16. Righthander Ryan Williams of the Tennessee Smokies was selected as the Pitcher of the Week while Pensacola Blue Wahoos outfielder Jesse Winker earned Player of the Week honors.
Over two starts, tossing an even six innings in each, Smokies righty Ryan Williams went 2-0 with a .075 ERA and nine strikeouts against four hits and just two walks. His 12.0 total innings pitched led the league last week, and his 0.50 WHIP and .100 batting average against paced all pitchers that logged two starts. Williams' first start of the week came against Jackson on August 10, where he led the Smokies to a 6-5 win. The Morgan Hill, California resident fired six innings of one-hit baseball, while fanning five Generals. Five nights later, in a 4-1 win at Chattanooga, Williams hurled six more frames, allowing just one run on three hits with four more strikeouts. This is the first career weekly award for the former East Carolina Pirate.
Splitting time between right and left field, Jesse Winker came close to matching Southern League history by homering in five straight games last week, just one short of Derrek Lee's six in a row set in 1996. Winker began the five-game run in Pensacola's 13-10 slugfest win over Birmingham on August 11, where he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a double, homerun and two RBI. His two most important longballs came in consecutive wins over the Shuckers on August 14 and 15. Playing in Biloxi on the 14th, Winker connected on a first-inning homerun, which would be the only run scored in the 1-0 victory and just one of two Pensacola hits that night. The next day Winker drilled a two-run shot to right-center in the eighth inning, breaking a scoreless tie that helped his club take a 2-1 victory. This is the third career weekly award for former first round draft pick and Windermere, Florida native. Winker was named Midwest League Player of the Week on May 20, 2013, while he was selected for the same honor by the Arizona Fall League on October 14 of last year.
Southern League Stories from August 17, 2015
- Biscuits Sweep Barons, Win Ninth-Straight - Montgomery Biscuits
- ESPN Releases Digital Documentary on Biloxi Shuckers Season Entitled "Home" - Biloxi Shuckers
- Heidenreich Returns to Barons - Birmingham Barons
- Blue Wahoos Homestand Highlights August 18-22 - Pensacola Blue Wahoos
- Shuckers Playoff Tickets Go on Sale Thursday - Biloxi Shuckers
- Winker Named Player of the Week - Pensacola Blue Wahoos
- Ryan Williams Named Southern League Pitcher of the Week - Knoxville Smokies
- Southern League Names Pitcher and Player of the Week for August 10-16 - SL1
- BayBears and M-Braves Washed out Sunday Night - Mobile BayBears
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
