Fraudin Named Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week
May 19, 2013 | Baseball
Fraudin (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) became the third different Gardner-Webb pitcher to earn the honor this season, joining rotation mates Andrew Barnett and Erik Heiligenstadt. The GWU staff has earned four Pitcher of the Week honors from the Big South this season.
Fraudin anchored a strong weekend for Gardner-Webb, hurling his third complete game of the season in a 4-2 win over Presbyterian. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder was dominant, striking out a career-high 11 batters, walking just two and allowing only four singles in the game.
Fraudin allowed just one hit after the first inning, and two of the four singles he allowed did not leave the infield. He struck out the side twice, and had at least one strikeout in six of the 9.0 innings he worked.
He retired the final 11 batters who came to the plate, and 19 of the final 21 batters he faced.
Fraudin improved to 7-5 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.99, his second consecutive regular season with an ERA of 3.20 or lower. He leads the Big South Conference with 94 strikeouts, good for fifth in school history for a single season, and ranks second with 99.1 innings pitched - the sixth-best mark in Gardner-Webb's single-season history. His .212 batting average against this season ranks in the top-5 in the Big South. His season WHIP of 1.10 leads Gardner-Webb's starting rotation.
All three complete games thrown by Fraudin this season have come against Big South Conference foes. Over his last three starts, Fraudin is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 22.0 innings pitched. He has walked only three batters during that stretch, and has held opponents to a .171 batting average.
Gardner-Webb opens Big South Conference Tournament action on Tuesday against No. 3 High Point in Lynchburg, Va. First pitch is set for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 9:30 am tourney opener that pits No. 2 Coastal Carolina against No. 7 Longwood.
