Baseball (19-8, 3-1 in Week 7) 

UNC Wilmington baseball won its second consecutive CAA series to kick off league play this weekend. Like last weekend, the Seahawks lost the opener to William & Mary before taking games on Saturday and Sunday. UNCW also beat Campbell on Tuesday 8-3. The Seahawk bullpen recorded a win in each game last week, increasing their nation-leading win total to 14 games. 

Pitcher of the Week: Justin Walke 

The junior reliever doubled his season win total with two wins this week. Walke is now tied with senior reliever Austin Warren for the team lead in wins with four. The lefty pitched a combined 5.1 innings in wins against Campbell and William & Mary. Walke allowed just two runs on six hits while allowing no walks and tallying two strikeouts. 

Player of the Week: Cole Weiss 

After an 0-5 day in UNCW’s win over Campbell, the junior infielder turned it up over the weekend against William & Mary. Weiss went 6-for-13 (.462) against the Tribe, including a three-hit game on Sunday. Weiss’ Easter Day performance included two home runs and four RBIs in the team’s 7-3 win. Weiss joined Ryan Jeffers, Zack Canada and Mason Berne as Seahawks to have multi-home run games this season. 

Freshman of the Week: Gage Herring 

In a week where the freshmen bats went cold, both Herring and Landen Roupp pitched well in their starts over the weekend. In his start on Sunday, Herring threw a strong four innings, allowing only one run on one hit and two walks. He added three strikeouts before handing the game over to Walke, who picked up the win in the 7-3 UNCW victory. 

What’s to come: 

On Tuesday, the Seahawks will finally get their shot at No. 12 East Carolina as they travel to Greenville for the first of a home-and-home series. The Seahawks will then return home for a weekend series against Wofford, as UNCW is the CAA team that gets league play off this week. 

Around the CAA: 

The Elon Phoenix took two out of three games against College of Charleston to put both programs alongside UNCW at 4-2 in conference play. Northeastern went 2-1 at JMU this weekend to put themselves in a tie for the lead in winning percentage.  

Softball (10-19, 3-2 in Week 7) 

The bats of the UNC Wilmington softball team came alive early en route to a 3-2 week. The Seahawks took a midweek sweep over South Carolina State and secured their first CAA victory over powerhouse James Madison on Friday. The UNCW lineup mercy-ruled the Bulldogs in both midweek games in five and six innings by scores of 12-1 and 9-0, respectively.  

Pitcher of the Week: Haley Lenderman 

Although the junior pitcher only lasted one and a third innings in the weekend finale, Lenderman had two stellar outings prior against South Carolina State and James Madison. In her first two outings, Lenderman allowed six combined hits for a pair of runs while adding seven strikeouts to the mix. She tied her 2017 inning total at 39 before throwing a total of 9.1 innings this week. Lenderman also picked up her third win of the season in the second leg of the South Carolina doubleheader on Tuesday. 

Player of the Week: Emily Langkamp 

The freshman slugger continued to rake this week while also tallying her first career home run in dramatic fashion. In game one with JMU, Langkamp hit a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the seventh to give the Seahawks a 6-4 victory. Langkamp went a combined 4-12 (.333) on the week, raising her batting average to second on the team at .303. Langkamp also added four RBIs and scored three runs during the week. 

Freshman of the Week: Carson Shaner 

The freshman outfielder turned in a strong performance against a perennial NCAA powerhouse in JMU over the weekend. Shaner didn’t shy away from the challenge, as she went a combined 4-8 (.500) at the plate against the Dukes. She scored a run and added three RBIs in her breakout series. 

What’s to come: 

The Seahawks continue their eight-game homestand with four more games this week. UNCW will finally host North Carolina on Tuesday after their initial bout was canceled. The Seahawks will then play host to CAA foe Elon over the weekend. 

Around the CAA: 

After a historical start in the non-conference schedule, Towson continues to struggle in conference play with a 2-4 record. The Hofstra Pride sit alone atop the standings (6-0) with sweeps of UNCW and Elon, though JMU is just behind them at 5-1.