March 20 POW Release

After throwing the ninth complete-game one-hitter in league history, UAB senior LHP Thomas Lowery has been named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week.  The C-USA Hitter of the Week honor goes to Southern Miss junior OF Mason Irby, who had nine hits, including two doubles, a home run and 10 runs scored last week, helping the Golden Eagles to a perfect week, including a sweep at No. 23 Louisiana Tech.
 
Lowery threw the first UAB complete game one-hitter since 2007 and just the ninth complete game one-hitter in Conference USA history in Sunday’s 5-0 win at WKU.  In just his sixth career start and third of the season, he threw his first-ever complete game while tying a career-high with six strikeouts.  Lowery only needed 87 pitches (career-high) to get through the game and faced 28 batters, just one above the minimum.  He did not allow a single baserunner to get into scoring position on his own doing (one advanced to second following an error and passed ball).
 
Irby, who bats No. 2 in the Southern Miss order, hit safely in all five games last week to extend his hitting streak to a season-high of six games.  It is the longest current skein on the team.  He scored 10 runs over the five games to hold the team lead in runs scored with 22.  Irby finished the week with a pair of three-hit games to give him nine for the week (.450 batting average).  He belted his first homer of the season to help build an early lead on Louisiana Tech in the middle game of the series and added a run-scoring single in the eighth in the final game of the set to give the Golden Eagles an insurance run in helping the visiting squad record a three-game sweep of the nationally ranked Bulldogs.
 
2017 WINNERS:
Hitter of the Week – Feb. 20 –Jackson Mims, 3B, Charlotte; Feb. 27 – T.J. Nichting, OF, Charlotte and Kevin Markham, OF, UTSA; Mar. 6 – Chase Lunceford, 3B, Louisiana Tech; Mar.  13 – Gary Mattis, OF, Florida Atlantic and Brewer Hicklen, OF, UAB; Mar. 20 – Mason Irby, OF, Southern Miss.
Pitcher of the Week – Feb. 20 – Garrett Whitlock, RHP, UAB; Feb. 27 – Nate Harris, RHP, Louisiana Tech; Mar. 6 – Nick McDonald, RHP, FIU; Mar. 13 – Matt Canterino, RHP, Rice; Mar. 20 – Thomas Lowery, LHP, UAB.