Baseball's Batts and tennis' Saari grab USA South accolades

Fayetteville, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that junior Justin Batts of baseball and freshman Antti Saari of men's tennis have earned USA South weekly accolades for March 3rd. Batts was tabbed baseball's Player of the Week after leading Wesleyan to a 4-1 record over the past seven days, while Saari was named Rookie Player of the Week in men's tennis.

Justin Batts was tabbed Player of the Week for the first time in his career. The junior catcher from Wilson, NC hit .524 (11-for-21) with eight RBI, seven runs scored, two doubles, one triple, one home run, one walk, and an .857 slugging percentage. In a doubleheader sweep of Capital, Batts was 3-for-7 with two runs scored, two RBI, one double, and one walk. In a 15-2 victory over Ramapo, he went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and two doubles. Finally, in a two-game split with USA South foe Christopher Newport, Batts was 4-for-10 with four RBI, two runs scored, a triple and a home run. He currently boasts a .389 batting average and team-best three homers and 17 RBI.

Antti Saari was named Rookie Player of the week for the first time this season. The Lahti, Finland freshman went 3-0 at both #1 singles and doubles last week for the Battling Bishops. Saari earned straight-set singles wins over top players from Chowan, North Carolina Central, and Guilford. In doubles action, Saari teamed with Brandon Coleman to earn the three victories at the top seed.

Congratulations to both players on their stellar performances!