Sowers Named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week 4/7/03

Vanderbilt sophomore left-hander Jeremy Sowers was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week announced Monday by the league office.

Sowers scattered five hits, struck out 11 batters and allowed one earned run in seven innings in Vanderbilt’s 2-1 victory over then-No. 13 Florida on Friday. The Commodores went on to sweep the three-game series from Florida and pull into a three-way tie for second place in the SEC Eastern Division.

The victory was Sowers’ first of the season in eight starts. All of his five hits allowed were singles with the exception of a C.J. Smith solo home run in the sixth inning. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last five starts. Sowers’ double-digit strikeout total was the third of the season and six of his career (24 appearances with 21 starts).

Sowers enters this week leading all SEC pitchers with 70 strikeouts on the season. In four league starts, he owns a 1.93 ERA with 34 strikeouts, only seven walks and seven runs (six earned) in 28 innings.

It marks the second time that Sowers has earned the SEC’s weekly pitching award. He grabbed SEC Pitcher of the Week honors on February 25, 2001 after he struck out 10 batters and scattered four hits in his college debut, a 6-5 victory at Louisville.

The award is Vanderbilt’s fifth since 1987 when the conference started honoring both a position player and pitcher each week. Last year, Sowers was the first Commodore pitcher to garner recognition since Phillip Haigler earned the award for the week of April, 29, 1996. Mike McLochlin (April 24, 1989) and Scott Newell (April 13, 1992) were Vanderbilt’s first recipients.