Thirteen-Hit Week Nabs Norris League honors

May 19, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hagerstown Suns News Release

For Hagerstown Suns catcher Derek Norris, the power numbers have been there all season. All it took was a week spent picking up hits in over half his at bats for Norris's batting average to catch up, and for the South Atlantic League to take notice.

Among the league leaders in home runs and runs batted in all season, Norris hit .556 between May 11 and May 17 to boost his average well over .300 and in line with the SAL's best. Norris also scored a league-high nine runs over that stretch, and for his efforts he was honored with the South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week award for the week ending May 17.

Norris went 13-for-23 at the plate during his red-hot week, including three two-hit days and two three-hit days. Norris reached base at least twice in each of the six games he played, raising his season on-base percentage to .424, just two points off the mark of league-leading Ben Lasater of Greensboro.

Norris also stands second in the SAL in walks (19) and is third in home runs (7), slugging percentage (.595), and RBIs (25). His batting average of .328 ranks tenth in the league, and he is fifth in the SAL with 23 runs scored.

The Offensive Player of the Week honor is the second weekly honor of Norris's professional career, as he was named New York-Penn League Player of the Week in August of last season. A fourth-round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, Norris has been ranked by "Baseball America" as the top catching prospect in the Nationals organization, and as Washington's sixth-best prospect overall.

The Hagerstown Suns play at Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, MD and are a Class "A" affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Sponsorship opportunities are available by calling the Suns at 301-791-6266. Visit the Suns on the web at www.hagerstownsuns.com. The Suns are owned by Los Angeles based Mandalay Baseball Properties.

South Atlantic League Stories from May 19, 2009

• Infield hits, bad luck sink Suns - Hagerstown Suns
• Power strand nine in loss to Lakewood - Charleston Dirty Birds
• Hernandez Turns Off Power - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
• Sauer pitches Kannapolis to 5-1 win - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Johnson Pitches Hoppers Past Captains in Game Two - Greensboro Grasshoppers
• Fry lifts Crawdads to 3-2 win on Tuesday afternoon - Hickory Crawdads
• Intimidators host Annual Baseball Camp July 6-9 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Thirteen-Hit Week Nabs Norris League honors - Hagerstown Suns
• ALS Celebrity Waiter Event Next Week; Memorabilia Announced - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
• VIP Seats almost Sold out for Saturday - Hagerstown Suns
• Crawdads top Shorebirds in 14 innings, 4-3 - Hickory Crawdads
• Engles' 12 Strikeouts Leads Suns Over Intimidators - Hagerstown Suns

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.

Other Recent Hagerstown Suns Stories

• 2020 Season Shutout
• Suns Release 2020 Promotional Schedule
• World Series Club Brimming with Suns
• Yoos Wins Trainer of the Year
• Suns Drop Final Game 10-5