WASHINGTON – The Atlantic 10 Conference has named Richmond graduate student Aaron Whitley its Baseball Player of the Week. VCU senior Christian Gordon was chosen as the league’s Pitcher of the Week. Richmond redshirt freshman Aidan O’Keefe and Saint Louis freshman Graham Mastros shared Co-Rookie of the Week accolades. The awards were announced Monday and are for games played April 8-14.
In five games, Whitley hit .526, slugged 1.105, posted an on base percentage of .591. The outfielder from Niskayuna, N.Y., collected 10 hits in 19 at bats, five RBI, five extra base hits, including three home runs, three stolen bases and seven runs scored. Against in-state foe JMU, he hit the first pitch of the game out for a home run. He opened the series with George Washington with a 4-for-5 performance, collecting three RBI, and was just a triple shy of the cycle. He closed out the series sweep with a 3-for-5 day, hitting a home run, a double, and nabbing a season-high three stolen bases.
Gordon tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 10 on the way to a win over St. Bonaventure on Saturday. The southpaw from Agricola, Va., scattered four base hits and walked just two in his longest outing of the season.
O’Keefe returned from injury in style, launching a solo home run off the second pitch in his first at bat Friday to put the Spiders on the board against GW. He scored again that same game, drawing a walk and crossing the plate as part of an 8-run inning. The infielder from Latham, N.Y., he drew a full count walk to load the bases in the ninth inning Saturday, scoring the winning run on Connor Larson's bunt. He added an RBI bunt single and a run scored in Sunday's game.
Mastros scored five runs on six hits in 15 at bats for a batting average of .400, an on-base percentage of .444 and a slugging percentage of .600. The infielder also drove in four RBI, hit one home run and stole three bases. He was 3-of-4 with two RBI and a home run, a walk and a stolen base in the series opener with Davidson, his best game of the week.