GREENWOOD, Ind. – A pair of familiar faces highlighted the most recent selection of Great Midwest Athletic Conference baseball weekly honors as announced on Monday.
Starting hurler Matt Pobereyko of Kentucky Wesleyan recorded a double-digit strikeout performance while nearly going the distance as he earned his second G-MAC Pitcher of the Week nod.
On the offensive end, Cedarville’s slugging corner infielder Drew Johnson was a key run producer in clutch situations as he earned his second G-MAC Player of the Week award.
G-MAC Pitcher of the Week
Matt Pobereyko
Kentucky Wesleyan
Starting Pitcher
Senior
Munster, IN
Pobereyko cemented his status as Kentucky Wesleyan’s ace/series-opening starter with a dominant outing against Trevecca Nazarene that turned out to be a 1-0 shutout in favor of the Panthers on Friday.
His continued rise this spring and promising successful return from injury helped Kentucky Wesleyan grab a G-MAC win in its league opener to start a four-game stand in Nashville.
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Pobereyko finished with eight strong innings, giving up just three hits while punching out a dozen hitters and his pitch count totaling 130.
TNU was unable to advance a runner past second base against the effective righty, getting gunned down on a caught stealing to end the fifth and grounding into an inning-ending double play in the eighth frame.
Pobereyko gave way to Justin Kittel in a save situation for the final inning. He was the beneficiary for the winning decision after Dennon Koziol’s eventual game-winning RBI single in the fifth.
Pobereyko lowered his season ERA to 2.60 in five games. His start against Trevecca Nazarene was his fourth of the season and he has logged 27.2 innings on the mound to go with 34 strikeouts.
He ranks second in the G-MAC in strikeouts only behind TNU’s Michael Purcell (38).
G-MAC Player of the Week
Drew Johnson
Cedarville
Infielder
Sophomore
Mason, OH
Johnson sported a 9-for-27 line with five extra-base hits in six games for the Yellow Jackets as they faced Carson-Newman and took three of four from Salem International to open the conference slate.
Johnson homered, doubled three times and legged out a triple, while getting at least one hit in every game this past week. He managed to double in three consecutive games and scored six runs to go with five RBI.
The sophomore manned the hot corner and put a charge into a solo blast in game one of a doubleheader against Carson-Newman.
In his first G-MAC game this spring, he was 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and an RBI. He also tripled in the game.
Versus the Tigers in a high-scoring game two, Johnson did more damage in the batter’s box with a 3-for-6 effort, including three runs scored, two more runs batted in and a double.
Johnson ended Saturday’s series finale with the game-winning RBI to end it in extras as Cedarville/Salem International dueled into the 10th inning with a one-out single.
Through 17 games this season, Johnson is hitting .361 to go with six doubles, three triples, a home run and 11 RBI. He is tied for the conference lead in triples with TNU’s Tyler Tichenor (3).