ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference has announced its fifth selection of weekly awards on Tuesday morning, per the league office. Junior Luke Stulga and Graduate Reece Clapp were nominated for the MVC's March 17 awards.
Junior Luke Stulga was named the MVC Player of the Week following a strong offensive display against Saint Louis and Western Illinois across the week. In a five-game stretch versus the Billikens and Leathernecks, Stulga combined for a 13-for-25 performance with eight RBIs and recorded a hit in each contest to match his season-longest hitting streak of five games. On Saturday, Stulga tallied four hits to equal a career-best total for a single contest. As of March 17, Stulga ranks fifth in the MVC with a batting average of .370 and fourth among all Valley hitters with 20 RBIs this season.
Graduate Reece Clapp was named MVC Pitcher of the Week following a dominant performance out of the bullpen for the Redbirds across the week. In three appearances, Clapp tallied 14 strikeouts in 11.0 shutout innings pitched and limited opponents to just six hits. On Saturday, Clapp entered in relief and tossed a career-best 7.0 innings, surpassing his longest outing. The Columbia, Mo. native added eight strikeouts in the appearance, which set a new career high in the Redbird 15-inning victory.
Stulga and Clapp join teammates Junior Graham Mastros and Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes to be nominated for a conference weekly award this season. The Redbirds have had a player selected for an award in four out of the MVC's five selections and in three straight weeks.
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