Brendan Beard, Texas Lutheran University, Pitcher of the Week (Week 9)

BRENDAN BEARD OF TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY, a senior right-hander from Coldspring, Texas has been named the SCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week for games played from Monday, April 1 through Sunday, April 7. SCAC Baseball Release - Week 9

Beard had the longest outing of his career, pitching a ten-inning complete game and allowing just one run while striking out nine on 125 pitches. The effort came in a key, 2-1, win to open an SCAC series at home against Schreiner last Friday en route to collecting all three wins against the Mountaineers.  After allowing one run on three hits in the first inning, Beard would throw nine scoreless innings and only allow one hit over the final nine innings. Beard retired 26 straight batters before a two-out single in the top of the tenth. With the nine strikeouts, Beard eclipsed the 200-career strikeout mark - increasing his career total to 206.

Other outstanding performances in the SCAC:

Sophomore pitcher Cody Myers of Centenary continued his stellar season by tossing his second-straight complete game in a 5-1 win over Southwestern at home on Friday. Myers (7-1) allowed 10 hits but just one earned run and three walks with 10 strikeouts. He faced 37 batters and threw 130 pitches, 87 for strikes. He entered Friday’s game with an 0.82 ERA which ranked seventh nationally in all of NCAA Div. III, and has only allowed three earned runs over his last 39.1 IP with 37 strikeouts. Junior left hander Adrian Montenegro of Dallas scattered six hits across eight full innings while striking out seven and walking just one in earning the tough luck loss to TLU on Saturday. Montenegro didn’t allow an earned run in the 4-3 loss. Junior pitcher Kameron Craig of St. Thomas collected a pair of key saves last week in helping the Celts secure an SCAC series sweep at Dallas. Craig allowed just one hit and one walk over two innings of work, without allowing a single run to close out two wins and earn two saves. Senior pitcher Jonathan Newman of Trinity notched a win and a save to lead the 16th ranked Tigers to a 4-0 week of play, which included a three-game SCAC weekend sweep at Austin College. Newman pitched 7.0 shutout innings in relief last week, striking out eight batters and allowing just seven total hits. He began the week by throwing 4.0 innings to earn the win over Concordia on Tuesday, striking out four batters and allowing just two hits. Newman came back in the series finale against Austin College, striking out four batters over the final 3.0 innings to earn the save that clinched the series sweep.