MISENHEIMER — Two members of the Pfeiffer Falcons baseball team were included in the USA South Athletic Conference’s recent Athletes of the Week list.
Junior Thad Lewis received Pitcher of the Week honors and freshman Badin Gusa was named the conference’s Rookie Pitcher of the Week.
In his latest pitching appearance for the Falcons (8-14, 4-7 USA South), Lewis had a complete game victory in Pfeiffer’s 8-1 win over conference opponent Southern Virginia. The Greenville native allowed just three hits and one walk in the performance while recording 13 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Gusa had a strong outing on a road trip to 12th-ranked Christopher Newport. Despite the 6-0 loss, the Thomasville native allowed only one earned run on five hits with one strikeout and three walks.
After a sluggish start to the season, the Falcons have now won five of their past six matchups and are looking to move up from sixth place in the conference standings. Methodist (22-5, 8-2 USA South) and N.C. Wesleyan (20-8, 9-3 USA South) and Brevard (17-10, 7-3 USA South) currently occupy the top three spots.
Most recently, Pfeiffer split a road doubleheader on April 10 against rival Greensboro (12-14, 6-4 USA South) where the Falcons came out on top 11-3 in the first matchup before losing 5-3 later in the day.
Pfeiffer will now take a quick break from its conference schedule as it travels to take on No. 8 Lynchburg on April 12. The Falcons then have three home matchups against William Peace (15-13, 8-4 USA South).
Along with the rest of the USA South, Pfeiffer is included in this week’s annual celebration of the nationwide Division III Week.
“Division III Week is a positive opportunity for all individuals associated with a Division III institution to observe and celebrate the impact athletics and student-athletes have on campus and in the surrounding community,” the USA South announced in a press release.
“During the week, every Division III school and conference office is encouraged to conduct an outreach activity that falls into one of three categories: academic accomplishment, athletic experience, or leadership/community service/campus involvement. Division III Week is a strategic initiative that achieves its desired impact from a unity of effort. It harnesses everyone working toward the same goal at the same time to build a greater awareness and understanding of Division III athletics.”