NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – VCU senior Josh Simon was selected as the Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Player of the Week, while Dayton senior Hunter Wolfe was selected as the A-10 Pitcher of the Week.  La Salle freshman Gabe Rappa was chosen as the league’s Rookie of the Week. The awards, announced Monday, are for games played on opening weekend, Feb. 14-16 and are the first weekly awards of the season.
 
A catcher from Laurel, Md., Simon was consistently a hard out at the plate this weekend in helping the Rams to a 2-1 performance. He went 6-for-10 (.600) with a walk and a hit by pitch. He posted a .900 slugging percentage and had a solo home run in Sunday's game.   
 
A southpaw from Clay City, Ind., Wolfe was the opening day starter for the Flyers. He struck out 14 while allowing just two hits and one run in seven innings of work. He struck out the first eight hitters he faced, and nine of the first 10. His 14 strikeouts were the most posted by a pitcher among the three teams that opened the season at UNC Wilmington.
 
Rappa led the Explorers to victory at Furman on Saturday with a stellar start in his La Salle debut. The left-hander from Penns Grove, N.J., got the win after scattering one earned run and five hits while striking out five over the first six innings of his career. After the first inning, Rappa didn't allow a single run and gave up only three hits.