Tusculum’s Rivera, Carson-Newman’s Hontz Named Baseball Players Of The Week

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Tusculum outfielder Carlos Rivera and Carson-Newman's Brett Hontz have been named SAC Player and Pitcher of the Week. the league announced today.

Rivera, an All-American standout from Leesburg, Va., hit .600 last week, going 12-20 at the plate with nine RBI and six runs scored.

In a doubleheader sweep of North Greenville, he went 6-for-7 at the plate with eight RBI. In TC's 14-3 win over the Crusaders of North Greenville, Rivera was 3-for-3 at the plate with five RBI and scored three runs, while posting a double and a school record two triples.

Carlos Rivera

Brett Hontz

He followed that effort with a 3-for-6 performance at King as Tusculum rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 13-3. In TC's doubleheader sweep at Brevard, Rivera went 3-for-7 and scored a pair of runs.

On the year, Rivera is batting .406 with 10 doubles, five triples and five home runs as the Pioneers (30-11, 9-8 SAC) have won six straight games. TC hosts Milligan College on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Hontz and the Eagles of Carson-Newman won a single nine inning game last week at Limestone (8-2) and captured two critical conference shutouts over Wingate University this weekend 6-0 and 1-0. The third game of the series with the Bulldogs was rained out, bring the Eagles overall record to 32-12, while boast an 11-6 conference mark.

This weekend, Hontz fired a three-hit, complete-game shutout at Wingate. The senior started his complete game Friday, and came back to finish on Sunday because of rain. Hontz allowed only three hits, all singles, while striking out 11 and moved his overall record to 8-1 on the season.

The SAC Player of the Week is determined by a vote of the sports information directors in the league.