Palmer Picks Up Southland's Final Pitcher of the Week Honor of 2019
5/19/2019 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
Junior fired SFA's first nine-inning complete game in three years to push 'Jacks into Southland Tournament
Complete Southland Conference Release | Southland Conference Tournament Central
FRISCO, Texas - Not only was junior right-hander Alex Palmer's Thursday night pitching performance a crucial component for the SFA baseball team's entry into the Southland Conference Tournament field, it has now yielded the first Southland Conference weekly honor for a Lumberjack in over two years.
For the first time in his SFA career, Palmer earned the title of Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week it was announced by the league office in a press release issued Sunday afternoon. With the honor, Palmer picked up the first Southland Pitcher of the Week citation for a Lumberjack arm since May 1, 2017, when Erik Nouis earned it on the heels of a six-inning win over fourth-ranked TCU.
In the 'Jacks' series opener against Southland Conference adversary New Orleans Thursday night, Palmer put forth the first nine-inning complete game effort by a Lumberjack pitcher in three years. Through his nine innings of work, the Arlington, Texas, product racked up eight strikeouts while surrendering just a single run on six hits and a pair of walks. SFA backed its ace with two runs and they held up in the 'Jacks' 2-1 victory that pushed them into the Southland Conference Tournament field.
Thursday's performance marked Palmer's third-straight complete game outing pushing the right-hander's total to a Southland Conference-leading four. Those four complete games put Palmer into a tie for fourth nationally among all NCAA Division I hurlers.
Throughout the 2019 campaign - his first at the NCAA Division I level - Palmer has continually distinguished himself as one of the nation's finest arms. He has racked up 99 strikeouts through a staff-high 98 innings of work and owns SFA's program records for most strikeouts in a single season.
In the Southland those 99 punchouts are the second-most and with one more he will become the first Lumberjack pitcher in program history to amass triple digits in a single season. On the national scene, Palmer ranks 33rd in strikeouts, 71st with a season ERA of 2.48, 34th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.15), and 39th in WHIP (1.00).
Palmer will likely get the ball for SFA's Southland Conference Tournament opener Wednesday morning at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. The sixth-seeded 'Jacks are set to begin their tournament run at 9:00 a.m. against third-seeded Southeastern Louisiana on ESPN+. For a complete Tournament bracket, ticket information and all details about the league tournament, visit the Southland Conference Tournament Central page located at the link in the beginning of this release.
-SFA-
