NCBWA Names Fraudin National Pitcher of the Week
May 14, 2014 | Baseball
The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each NCAA Division I conference each week and names winners every Tuesday throughout the season.
Fraudin (Upper St. Clair, Pa. / Upper St. Clair HS) fired a complete-game, one-hit shutout against one of the nation's premier offensive teams on May 8, blanking Colonial Athletic Association leader William & Mary in a 2-0 win for Gardner-Webb.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder fanned 11 and walked just one batter in the game. Fraudin retired the first 19 batters he faced in order - including 10 by strikeout - and saw his perfect game bid broken up by a Nick Thompson single with one out in the seventh.
Fraudin recovered to get out of that frame unscathed and allowed just one more base runner the rest of the way - via a walk in the eighth inning. He retired the Tribe in order in the ninth, striking out Thompson to end the game.
William & Mary entered Thursday's contests ranked No. 2 nationally in batting (.327 BA) and No. 1 in runs per game (9.0).
Fraudin struck out the side in the first and fanned two batters in the third and fifth and sixth innings. It was the sixth time this season that the big righty has lasted at least 8.0 innings and the third time he has gone 9.0 innings or more.
Fraudin leads the Big South Conference with 95 strikeouts and ranks second this season to date with 93.1 innings pitched. He leads Gardner-Webb in each category for the second season in a row.
Fraudin (4-5, 2.41 ERA) will take the mound again for Gardner-Webb on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 when the 'Dogs travel to face Presbyterian in a crucial Big South Conference matchup.
