March 17, 2008

Conference USA Hitter of the Week honors go to Marshall junior CF Nate Lape, who put up big numbers in leading the Thundering Herd to six wins on the week. Tulane junior righthander Shooter Hunt takes Conference USA Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week after a dominating performance in a shutout win over Oakland.

Lape led Marshall to a 6-0 week and its first six-game winning streak since the 2004 season by batting .542 (13 hits in 24 at-bats), including five home runs, three doubles and 11 RBI. Lape also scored 12 runs, stole a pair of bases, drew two walks and struck out only three times to help Marshall to a pair of three-game sweeps over Valparaiso and 2007 NCAA Regional participant VMI on the road. Lape is team leader in almost every offensive category for the Herd this season. In 14 games, he has a .509 overall batting average, a 1.075 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 20 RBI, six doubles, 24 runs scored and is 4-for-5 in stolen base attempts

Hunt struck out 10 batters in 8.0 innings to lead the Green Wave to a 3-0 victory over the Oakland on Friday. He allowed just two singles to a team that entered the weekend hitting .315. Hunt posted at least one-strikeout in each inning, including two-K stanzas in the fifth and eighth. He allowed just six base runners on Friday and allowed just two runners to get past second base, while helping himself out with a pickoff at first. Hunt has now recorded at least one strike out in 21 consecutive innings.