RRAC News
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 - [Baseball]
Coats racked up three homers and 16 RBIs in a 6-0 week for the Knights.
Coats racked up three homers and 16 RBIs in a 6-0 week for the Knights.
WACO, Texas -- Justin Coats of Northwood University (Texas) stood out as the Red River Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week for March 8-14, while Northwood's Frank Abbl and Michael Kline of Bacone College (Okla.) were named RRAC Co-Pitchers of the Week for the same dates. Coats also added the NAIA's national player of the week award.

Coats, a senior second baseman from Texarkana, Texas, drove in 16 runs on 10 hits as the Knights went 6-0 last week. He started the week with a pair of home runs and six RBIs in a 13-3 win over Texas College. On Friday, Coats continued with a 4-for-5 performance with five RBIs in a double-header sweep of the University of St. Mary (Kan.) on Saturday. He followed with another home run and four more RBIs as Northwood took another pair of games from St. Mary. For the week, Coats batted .625 and scored nine runs. The Knights moved to 21-6 on the season.

Abbl, a junior right-hander from Wilcox, Ariz., made his first start of the year after returning from shoulder surgery and combined with the Knights' Corey Sartor on a five-inning no-hitter. For his part, Abbl threw four innings with four strikeouts and a walk en route to a 16-1 victory over Texas College. 

Kline, a freshman pitcher from Coral Springs, Fla., tossed a complete game, four-hit shutout of Wabash College (Ind.). He struck out six hitters and walked one in seven innings of work to earn a 4-0 victory.

Justin Keller of Texas Wesleyan University, Peter Maldonado of the University of Texas-Brownsville, Jordan Rodgers of Huston-Tillotson University (Texas) and Derrick Roland of Bacone College (Okla.) were also nominated for player of the week, while UTB's Chris Raley and TWU's Kody Thiebaud were additional pitcher of the week nominees.

-RRAC-