Hokie ClubGREENSBORO, N.C. – Clemson’s Chris Williams has been voted the ACC Baseball Player of the Week, while Louisville’s Brendan McKay and Virginia Tech’s Nick Anderson were selected as Co-Pitchers of the Week. ACC weekly honors are determined by a vote of a select media panel. This is the fourth career Pitcher of the Week honor for McKay and second straight, and the first weekly award for Williams and Anderson.
A redshirt junior from San Diego, California, Anderson scattered five hits and two walks while striking out five over eight scoreless innings pitched in a 17-0 win over No. 1 Florida State to pick up his league-high tying fourth win of the season. Only two Seminoles touched third base int he game, in the second and fourth frames, and he allowed just two baserunners after the fourth with neither reaching second base. It was a career-high tying 8.0 innings pitched for Anderson, while he notched his team-leading fourth quality start. Of his 31 innings thrown this season, 24 have been scoreless.
This was Tech's third shutout of the season, while the effort was just the eighth shutout for Virginia Tech in ACC play since joining the league. Anderson becomes just the fourth Hokie to be named the ACC's Pitcher of the Week, while Tech has received eight overall selections. Justin Wright leads the selections with three (once in 2009 and twice in 2010), while Ryan Kennedy (in 2005) and Sean Kennedy (in 2015) each earned the honor twice.
A week after registering a career-high 15 strikeouts, McKay was nearly as impressive last Friday striking out 12 while scattering five singles and issuing one walk in seven shutout innings to move to 4-0 on the season. The junior lefthander from Darlington, Pennsylvania, anchored the sixth shutout of the season for the No. 1 Cardinals. In his four starts on the mound this season, McKay has allowed just one earned run in 25.0 innings (0.36 ERA) with 41 strikeouts and only six walks. Having surrendered no extra-base hits and only 13 singles this season, McKay moved into sole possession of third place in career wins at Louisville improving to 25-7 overall with a 1.87 ERA and 286 strikeouts in 231.1 innings.
Williams hit .421 with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBIs, three runs, two walks, a hit-by-pitch, 1.000 slugging percentage and .478 on-base percentage in leading Clemson to four wins in five games last week. The junior from Garden Grove, California, had at least one hit in all five games, including each of the games against No. 15 Virginia. He also caught all 45 innings behind the plate and did not allow a stolen base in one attempt during the week. On the season, he is hitting .350 with six runs, four doubles, three homers, 16 RBIs and a .413 on-base percentage in 13 games (10 starts).