2021-22 ODAC Baseball Players of the Week

  • Avery Neaves, Lynchburg, Jr., OF
    May 03, 2022
    Neaves, a junior from Reston, Va., continued his stellar campaign in leading Lynchburg to a trio of wins and keeping himself atop several ODAC offensive categories including those associated with the traditional "triple crown." Neaves belted four homers and drove in 11 runs last week as the nationally sixth-ranked Hornets wrapped up the top seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament. He went deep twice in a 16-7 non-conference win over Pfeiffer. He drove in six runs with his two three-run homers and scored four times while walking once. In an 11-2 victory over Hampden-Sydney, Neaves again left the yard twice as part of a 3-for-4 day. He hit a two-run shot in the first, drove in a run with a single in the fourth, and bashed a solo homer in the sixth to start Lynchburg to a 10-0 lead. Neaves numbers came down out of the rafters in a series split with Bridgewater. He singled and drove in a run in game one, a 6-2 loss. He reached base twice in game two with his second and third walks of the week, scoring once in a 12-6 victory. For the season, Neaves leads the ODAC in runs (57), homers (13), RBI (58), total bases (114), walks (47), batting (.409), OBP (.568), and slugging (.832). He is third in doubles (15).
  • Reid Long, Bridgewater, So., Starter
    May 03, 2022
    Long, a sophomore from Chesapeake, Va., helped Bridgewater secure the fifth seed in the upcoming ODAC Baseball Tournament by earning a victory over nationally sixth-ranked Lynchburg. Long worked 6.1 strong innings, giving up just two runs while scattering seven hits to the conference's highest-scoring offense. He walked two batters and struck out three batters to improve to 10-1 on the year, the most wins in the ODAC. He is second in the league with a 1.99 earn run average. Long has made 11 appearances including 10 starts covering 63.1 innings of work. He has struck out 54 batters and opponents are hitting .234 against him.
  • Conner Butler, Roanoke, Jr., 2nd Base
    April 25, 2022
    Butler, a junior from Chesapeake, Va., was a hitting machine for Roanoke as he helped lead the Maroons to a 4-0 week that included an important sweep of Virginia Wesleyan. Butler posted a .706/.684/.882 slash line in going 12-for-17 with multiple hits in all four games. He went 2-for-2 with a walk in a 7-6 non-conference victory at Greensboro. He also stole two bases and contributed to five runs in the seventh and eighth innings in RC's comeback from a 6-2 deficit. In a 15-8 non-conference win over Pfeiffer, Butler registered the first five-hit game of his collegiate career. He drove in one run and scored four times while also stealing a base. The ODAC sweep (11-5, 9-4) of Virginia Wesleyan improved Roanoke's league record to 9-8 as the Maroons battled for a spot in the upcoming ODAC Tournament. Butler went 5-for-9 in the two games. He singled twice with two RBI and a run scored in game one, and belted a solo homer amongst three hits in game. He scored twice in the latter contest. For the season, is hitting .382 with a .424 OBP and a .515 slugging percentage. He is fourth in the ODAC in hits (52) and seventh in runs (40). His 11 extra-base hits include seven doubles, a triple, and three homers. He has driven in 26 runs.
  • Drew Ramos, Randolph-Macon, So., Starter
    April 25, 2022
    Ramos, a sophomore from Williamsburg, Va., is a big part of why Randolph-Macon is rounding into form towards the backend of the schedule as he won for a second start in a row and third consecutive appearance overall. Ramos toed the rubber for six innings and allowed two unearned runs in a 5-2 victory over Hampden-Sydney. He surrendered just three hits and walked three while matching his career-high with 11 punchouts. He set down the last 12 batters he faced including six via strikeout. For the season, Ramos is 4-0 in nine appearances including seven starts covering 36.1 total innings. He has struck out 56 batters, fifth-most in the ODAC, at a clip of 13.87 per nine innings, which ranks third. He owns a 2.971 ERA, the league's eighth-best mark. Opponents are hitting .234 off him.
  • Garrett Jackson, Lynchburg, Sr., 3rd Base
    April 18, 2022
    Jackson, a senior from Virginia Beach, Va., registered a trio of three-hit games as he helped the nationally fifth-ranked Hornets go 3-1 last week included a sweep on the road of Guilford College. Jackson hit .526 (10-for-19) with a double, triple, and two homers for a 1.000 slugging percentage. He also walked twice to drive is OBP for the week to .609. Jackson went 1-for-5 in the Hornets 6-4 setback at Randolph-Macon to split the season series with the Yellow Jackets. He then responded with three straight three-hit games to help Lynchburg outscore Greensboro and Guilford by a combined 61-20. In a 29-7 win over Greensboro, Jackson went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. He also walked and scored four runs. He cross the plate four more times in each game of a sweep of Guilford, giving him 12 total runs scored for the week. He went 3-for-5 in both games, belting a two-run shot and smacking a two-run single on the way to four RBI in a 21-10 win in game one. In game two, he legged out a triple and blasted a solo homer while also stealing a base. For the season, the Hornets third baseman is hitting .290 with a .420 OBP and a .489 SLG. He has cracked five homers and driven in 31 runs. His 39 runs scored are fourth in the ODAC.
  • Reilly Owen, Shenandoah, Jr., Starter
    April 18, 2022
    Owen, a junior from Charlottesville, Va., put his best foot forward in leading nationally 25th-ranked Shenandoah to a 3-0 victory over Ferrum. Owen fired eight shutout frames and scattered five hits. He walked two and struck out a half-dozen on the way to improving to 2-3 on the season. Owen allowed just two runners to reach second base with one coming via a steal. He rolled up three double play ground balls amongst 12 total ground ball outs. He also picked a runner off of first base. For the season, Owen has made 10 appearances including nine starts covering 39.2 innings on the hill. He lowered his ERA to 5.45 and improve his opponents batting average to .259. He has struck out 43 batters and walked 27.
  • Avery Neaves, Lynchburg, Jr., Outfielder
    April 11, 2022
    Neaves, a junior from Reston, Va., continues to hit the cover off the ball as he collects his second straight and third overall ODAC weekly award of the season. Neaves went 6-for-11 with three doubles and a homer to help nationally fifth-ranked Lynchburg to a trio of victories including a home-and-home sweep of #24 Christopher Newport. Neaves went 1-for-3 with two walks and stolen base in a 9-3 win over Virginia Wesleyan to start the week. He drove in a run with a single to help Lynchburg recover from an early 3-1 deficit. In the first game against CNU at Captains Park, Neaves went 2-for-4 with a walk. He cracked a RBI double in the second and belted a two-run homer in the sixth to stake the Hornets to a 7-0 advantage. He also scored three runs. Back home at Fox Field the next day, Neaves went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and a stolen base in Lynchburg's 4-1 triumph. For the season, Neaves leads the ODC in batting (.440), OBP (.594), slugging (.824), and walks (31). He is third in runs (35), homers (7), and total bases (75), and fourth in RBI (33). He has hit safely in six straight games and has reached base via a hit in 23-of-28 games played.
  • Nick Mattfield, Lynchburg, So., Starter
    April 11, 2022
    Mattfield, a sophomore from Suffolk, Va., picked up his fifth win of the season in pitching nationally fifth-ranked Lynchburg to a 4-1 victory over #24 Christopher Newport on Sunday. Mattfield fired 7.1 strong innings, his longest out of the season (previous 6.0). He surrendered one run on three hits. He walked one batter and matched his career-high with seven strikeouts. After a bumpy first inning, Mattfield set down the next six Captains he faced until allowing their lone run in the fourth. He finished the contest retiring 12 straight batters before turning the ball over to the bullpen to shut the door. Mattfield is not 5-0 on the season with a 2.50 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched over eight appearances including five starts. He has struck out 42 batters and issued 11 free passes. Opponents are hitting .174 against him.
  • Myles Webb, Randolph-Macon, So., Outfielder
    April 04, 2022
    Webb, a sophomore from Norfolk, Va., registered 10 hits over three games and posted a slash line of .667/.688/.933 in a 3-0 week for Randolph-Macon that included a sweep of Bridgewater. Webb went 10-for-15 overall with two doubles, a triple, two RBI, six runs scored, and a walk. He opened his week with a 4-for-5 day in a 7-2 win at Virginia Wesleyan. He scored a run and drove in one in that contest. Against Bridgewater, Webb went 3-for-5 in game one with three runs scored. He was just a homer short of hitting for the cycle in R-MC's 7-2 win. He again went 3-for-5 in a 14-10 victory in game two. He doubled and walked, drove in a run, and scored twice. For the season, Webb is third in the ODAC with a .419 (31-of-74) batting average. He owns a .438 OBP and a .608 slugging percentage. He has smacked nine doubles and driving in 14 runs while scoring 17 runs.
  • Thomas Haller, Washington and Lee, So., Starter
    April 04, 2022
    Haller, a sophomore from Round Hill, Va., was simply dominant in going the distance for a 12-2 victory over Guilford to collect his first career ODAC weekly award. Haller gave up two runs on five hits with a pair of walks over nine innings. He struck out Washington and Lee record 17, surpassing the previous mark of 15 by Steve Momorella in 1991. He is the first Generals pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in a game since 2013. The ODAC does not officially feature a most strikeouts in a single-game record. However, in referencing available entries on member websites, Haller's 17 Ks tie for the second-most in league history with former Randolph-Macon standout Travis Beazley and one behind the 18 punchouts recorded by Emory & Henry's Brandon Matheny in 1998. Haller had string of six and five straight outs record via strikeout in working around any baserunners allowed. For the season, Haller is 3-3 in eight appearances, all starts. He has struck out 48 batters and owns a 4.30 ERA in 44.0 innings of work, the second-most in the league.
  • Avery Neaves, Lynchburg, Jr., Outfielder
    March 28, 2022
    Neaves, a junior from Reston, Va., was both explosive and timely in picking up his second weekly award of the season. Neaves slashed at .529/.636/1.294 in helping Lynchburg to a 3-1 week that including a trio of ODAC victories to improve the nationally fourth-ranked Hornets' records to 17-4 overall and 7-0 in league play atop the ODAC standings. Neaves collected the deciding hit in Lynchburg's 8-7 comeback victory over Randolph-Macon. Down 7-0 late-on, he homered to drive in the Hornets' first two runs in the eighth inning. Then he walked it off in the ninth with a three-run double to give him five RBI for the game. In a 13-5 loss to Tufts, Neaves went 3-for-4 with a triple and a solo homer while also walking once. He cleared the fences for a third straight game in a 16-8 win in game one of a road sweep of Eastern Mennonite. He went 3-for-4 in that contest with two walks and a three-run blast to punctuate Lynchburg's win. He collected one hit with an RBI double to help the Hornets to a 13-6 win in the nightcap. For the season, Neaves leads the ODAC in batting (.426) and on-base percentage (.584) as well as walks (22). He is second in slugging (.779) and RBI (26) and third in homers (5).
  • John Benner, Washington and Lee, Fy., Starter
    March 28, 2022
    Benner, a first-year from McLean, Va., helped the Generals complete a season-sweep for Shenandoah for the first time in series history dating back to their first game in 1988. Benner became the first Washington and Lee pitcher since Tom Concklin in 2017 to toss a complete game as he pitched W&L to a 5-2 victory over the 14th-ranked Hornets. He gave up two runs -- both coming via a two-run homer -- on four hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out a season and career-best nine batters. He needed just 97 pitches in the nine-inning outing. Benner retired the first 13 batters he faced -- including six by punchout -- until a single and homer with one down in the fifth inning broke up both his perfect-game bid and the shutout. He recovered quickly, sitting down 15 of the final 17 batters he faced to allow Washington and Lee to post three runs in the ninth for a 5-2 comeback victory. For the season, Benner is 3-0 in six appearances with five starts. He owns a 4.91 ERA with a .282 opponents batting average. He struck out 30 batters and walked just five in 29.1 innings on the hill.
  • Brett Lindsay, Eastern Mennonite, Sr., Shortstop
    March 21, 2022
    Lindsay, a senior from Gloucester, Va., put together his strongest week of the season in leading Eastern Mennonite to a trio of ODAC victories. Lindsay went 7-for-13 (.538) overall with a .533 OBP and a 1.308 slugged percentage powered by a double and three home runs. He left the yard for the first time on the week in a 10-9 victory over Washington and Lee. He belted a solo shot in the fifth inning as part of a 2-for-4 day with a walk and two runs scored. Lindsay then went deep twice in game one of a two-game sweep (15-5, 18-9) on the road at Ferrum. He registered the first of his four RBI with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and then cracked a two-run homer to left in the seventh. He finished the game's scoring with a solo blast to left-center in the ninth. In game two, he went 3-for-5 with a two run double and five runs scored. For the season, Lindsay is fourth in the ODAC in hitting (.426), seventh in OBP (.500), and sixth in slugging (.705). He is tied for fourth in homers (4) and fifth in RBI (22).
  • Calvin Pastel, Shenandoah, Sr., Starter
    March 21, 2022
    Pastel, a senior from Springfield, Va., picks up his first weekly award after helping nationally 16th-ranked Shenandoah to a 10-2 victory over Nichols College (Mass.). Pastel started and fired eight strong innings. He allowed one run on five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out five Bison. He retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing two singles in the fourth inning. He rolled up eight ground ball outs including a pair of double plays. For the season, Pastel is 2-0 in three starts. He owns a 2.41 ERA and has struck out 15 batters in 18.2 innings on the hill. Opponents are hitting .197 against him.
  • Henry Delavergne, Shenandoah, Gr., Centerfield
    March 14, 2022
    Delavergne, a graduate student from Warrenton, Va., picks up his second weekly award after slashing .800/.818/1.500 and flashing strong leather in centerfield in a 1-1 week against ODAC foes for nationally 18-ranked Shenandoah. Delavergne went 8-for-10 overall. He opened with a 3-for-4 showing in a 6-5 setback at Washington and Lee. He scored a run in that contest. Delavergne exploded in a 16-9 win over Guilford as he went 5-for-6 with a double, two homers, six RBI and five runs scored. Each of his homers were of the two-run variety and cleared the left-field fence. He also drove in runs with his two singles. For the season, Delavergne is slashing .426/.487/.706. He leads the ODAC in runs (22), hits (29), homers (5), and total bases (48). He is second in RBI (20).
  • Will Davis, Ferrum, Sr., Starter
    March 14, 2022
    Davis, a senior from Danville, Va., pitched Ferrum to their first ODAC victory of the season with a 5-1 decision over Hampden-Sydney. Davis worked the first eight innings and threw 84 strikes out of 115 total pitches (73%), helping him keep command on a two-hit outing before turning it over to the bullpen for the ninth inning. He allowed allowed one run and did not walk a batter. He fanned 10 Tigers. After two batters reached via error with two down in the first inning, Davis retired 18 of the next 19 batters he faced until a solo homer with two down in the seventh snapped the string. For the season, Davis is 2-2 with an ODAC second-best 1.24 ERA in 29.0 innings over five appearances. He has struck out 32 batters, good for third in the league. Opponents hit just .180 off him.
  • Carrson Atkins, Lynchburg, Sr., Centerfielder
    March 07, 2022
    Atkins, a senior from Charlottesville, Va., played the roles of both table-setter and run producer in Lynchburg four victories last week as he reached based safely at least twice in each contest. Atkins went 3-for-3 with a walk in 10-5 win over William Peace to start the week. He smacked two doubles including one that drove in a run, and blew the game open with an eighth-inning grand slam for his first collegiate long ball. He also scored three runs and stole a base. In game one of a three-game sweep (15-4, 8-6, 9-8) of York College (Pa.), Atkins singled cracked a RBI single and walked while scoring twice. In game two, he again registered a RBI single and walked. In the final contest, Atkins doubled in a run in the sixth inning and walked while also scoring once. For the season, Atkins is slashing .382/.523/.618 with three doubles, a triple, a homer, and 10 RBI. He has stolen three bases and has hit safely in five straight games. He has been perfect in centerfield, handling all 16 chances without issue.
  • Grayson Thurman, Lynchburg, Sr., Closer
    March 07, 2022
    Thurman, a senior from Lynch Station, Va., continues to have a rubber arm for Lynchburg as he picks up his second straight weekly award after earning a win and registering a pair of saves while fanning 14 batters in six innings of work. Thurman opened the week by working the final three frames to earn a win in the Hornets 10-5 triumph over William Peace. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out five batters among the nine outs recorded. He did not walk a batter. Thurman then pitched the final two innings to earn a save in an 8-6 win over York College (Pa.) in game two of a three-game set against the Spartans. He scattered three hits and made up for the baserunners by punching out five batters including the final three hitters of the game. Thurman capped his week the next day by striking out not three but four batters in the ninth inning to close out a 9-8 Lynchburg victory. He did not allow a baserunner in that outing. For the season, Thurman leads the ODAC and is tied for #1 in NCAA Division III with five saves. He owns a 1.72 ERA and has struck out an ODAC second-best 35 batters in 15.2 innings of work. His 20.11 strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio leads the league is ninth in the country.
  • Avery Neaves, Lynchburg, Jr,. Outfielder
    February 28, 2022
    Neaves, a junior from Reston, Va., was perpetually on-base for the Hornets as he reached safely 12 times over the course of four games on the way to a .625/.706/1.125 slash line. Neaves, who set an ODAC single-season record with 69 RBI last year, reached base five times in a 7-1 win over Averett to begin the week. He singled, walked twice, and was hit by two pitches on the wa to scoring two runs, driving in one, and registering a pair of stolen bases. In a three-game sweep of Dickinson, Neaves went 4-for-7 with six RBI, three walks, and a stolen base. In game two, he doubled and homered as part of a back-to-back effort with Gavin Collins. He drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly on the way to an 8-7 win. For the season, Neaves is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with a .594 OBP and .818 SLG. He has collected two doubles, a triple, a homer, and nine RBI.
  • Grayson Thurman, Lynchburg, Sr., Closer
    February 28, 2022
    Thurman, a senior from Lynch Station, Va., was a strikeout machine in three scoreless relief appearances that resulted in two saves and three Lynchburg wins. Thurman threw the final two frames of the a 7-1 victory over Averett. He gave up one hit and fanned six batters to account for all outs during his time on the hill. Thurman then saved both ends of a doubleheader sweep of Dickinson College. He registered seven strikeouts in the eight outs he recorded in 2.2 innings to close out game one by allowing just one hit in a 4-3 Hornets victory. In game two, Thurman fanned three more batters over a perfect pair of innings to close out an 8-7 victory for a second one-run save in a matter of hours. His 16 strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work translates to 21.60 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, Thurman has racked up three saves and fanned 21 batters (2nd in the ODAC) over 9.2 frames for a league-best 19.55 K's/9 ratio.
  • Henry Delavergne, Shenandoah, Gr., Centerfielder
    February 21, 2022
    Delavergne, a graduate student from Warrenton, Va., kicked off the 2022 season with a .529/.529/.706 slash line to lead Shenandoah to three wins in their first four games. Delavergne registered four multi-hit games in going 9-for-17 with four runs scored, three doubles, five RBI, and a pair of stolen bases. He also was perfect in centerfield -- six putouts and an assist in seven chances -- with several nice plays including a diving catch. In a sweep (8-5, 8-6) of Widener, Delavergne went 4-for7 with a double in each outing and two runs scored with three RBI. He also stole a base in game two. In a split (8-15, 7-6) with Misericordia, Delavergne collected three hits in game one including his third double in as many games. He drove in a pair of runs with two more hits in game two.
  • Brett Tharp, Bridgewater, Sr., Closer
    February 21, 2022
    Tharp, a senior from Baker, W.Va., made five closing relief appearances in Bridgewater's first seven games of the season and recorded four saves over nine total innings to help the Eagles open the year at 5-2. Tharp gave up just two hits and did not allow a run while walking three and fanning eight over the five outings. Three of his saves covered multiple innings of work. He closed out both portions of a double-header as Bridgewater took 2-of-3 games from N.C. Wesleyan in their season-opening series. He worked the final inning in game two and walked one while fanning two for his first save. He picked up save #2 in the nightcap as he did not allow a baserunning while striking out three over 2.0 innings of work. Against DeSales, Tharp worked the final two innings for his third save of the week. He gave up a hit and walked two with a strikeout. The next day, he finished out both games of a sweep of Etown. He gave up a hit and struck out one in finalizing Bridgewater's 11-6 game one win, and then worked the final three innings without allowing a baserunner and striking out one in a 4-2 victory for his fourth save.