The College of Staten Island baseball squad played in seven games last week, boasting a 6-1 record, and the team was handsomely rewarding with a clean sweep of weekly honors by the City University of New York Athletic Conference. Sophomore Frank Smith earned Player of the Week honors, while Brian Russell took Pitcher of the Week, and Eli Rodriguez took Rookie of the week.
Smith certainly built an impressive weekly resume. The sophomore outfielder batted a tremendous .526 batting average over six starts, amassing 10 RBI and 11 runs scored. He hit his first career homerun against John Jay on March 30, scoring two runs and three RBI in game one of the doubleheader alone. Smith also posted three doubles in the week. His heavy attack on the plate moved him up to .375 for the season at the dish, and he is tied for the team lead in RBI with 13 prior to yesterday’s matinee against Lehman.
Brian Russell won his second Pitcher of the Week honor for CSI. The sophomore was overpowering in a complete-game two-hit shutout over Lehman College last Saturday, a 14-0 win for CSI. He fanned 11 Lightning batters in the game. Prior to the win, Russell picked up his first save in a 7-4 win over Mount Saint Vincent. For the season, he is now 3-1 with a 0.64 ERA in 28 innings of work. He has fanned 29 batters against just four walks.
Eli Rodriguez posted a healthy week as well. The rookie third baseman batted .409 this week with six RBI, 9 runs scored and six extra-base hits, including his first career homerun against Lehman on Saturday. He also walked five times and stole three bases, lifting his on-base percentage to .536. For the season, he is batting .294 and leads the team with eight stolen bags.
CSI is back in action this coming Saturday, when they host No. 2 Cortland State, beginning at 12 Noon.
