LEBANON, Tenn. – Cumberland’s Tommy Winegardner and Aaron Wilkerson were named the TranSouth Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on Monday after helping the 17th-ranked Bulldogs win 4-of-5 games last week, including taking 2-of-3 contests from league-leading Union University.
Wilkerson tossed a three-hit shutout against seventh-ranked Union to earn his seventh victory of the season in seven starts. He allowed the three hits and three walks. Union had two baserunners in the same inning just twice, but no player reached third base.
The Waco, Texas, native upped his scoreless innings streak to 48.1 this season, giving up 22 hits and 12 walks in 51.0 innings of work this season. Opponents are batting just .129 against him and only 36 baserunners have reached against him this year.
The righthander has won 21 consecutive decisions dating to February 2010 and has a 21-1 career record in a year-and-a-half with the Bulldogs. It marks the third TSAC Pitcher of the Week honor this season for Wilkerson and the fourth of his career.
Winegardner was 10-for-16 (.625) in five games for the week, including a pair of three-hit outings. He scored five runs, hit one home run, collected four RBIs and stole a pair of bases. The St. Leonard, Md., native posted a .667 on-base percentage and a .813 slugging percentage in the five contests.
He was 3-for-3 with one run scored in the second game of a doubleheader against Georgetown College and recorded two hits with a monster solo homer and scored twice in the opening game of the series against Union. The round-tripper hit the top of an electric pole on the far side of Spring Street in rightcenter at Ernest L. Stockton Field.
Winegardner added three more hits, two runs scored and three RBIs in the finale versus Union. For the season he is batting .366 with six doubles, five homers, 23 RBIs and a team-leading 35 runs scored. He also has 13 stolen bases as well as posting a 1-0 record with four saves in eight appearances on the mound.
Cumberland is set to play Lindsey Wilson at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Veterans Field in Lebanon before starting a five-game road swing Wednesday with a 5:30 p.m. CT contest at Campbellsville University. The Bulldogs play Bethel University in a three-game series this weekend in McKenzie and take on Georgetown College on April 12 on the road.
