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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Garcia and Thornton receive SSC Player of the Week Honors
Duo led their respective teams to six combined wins this past week
For the second time in a three-week span, Nova Southeastern University has had multiple student-athletes honored by the Sunshine State Conference as their respective sports’ Player of the Week.
A duo from the diamond in baseball leftfielder Justin Garcia (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.) and softball pitcher Rebecca Thornton (So., Lodi, Calif.) were selected by the league office on Monday for their efforts this past week.
Garcia was one of the main offensive cogs in the baseball team’s three-game weekend sweep of No. 11 Southern New Hampshire. He batted .500, getting at least a hit in every game, including a home run in each of the Saturday and Sunday wins. He knocked in five runs, scored three, and had an OPS of 1.915. On the season so far, Garcia is batting .333 and is first or tied for first on the team in home runs (three), RBI (eight), doubles (three), hits (10), total bases (22) and slugging percentage (.733) The Sharks have notched sweeps of three nationally-ranked teams, each of which played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, and their 9-0 mark to start the year in the best in program history.
In the circle this past week, Thornton led softball to three victories, all coming against top-25 opponents. She pitched 21 innings, including 14 in a single day against No. 9 North Georgia and No. 25 Wingate, holding opposing batters to a .228 average. After facing a tough No. 12 Alabama-Huntsville offense and winning on Thursday, she held North Georgia and Wingate to just two combined earned runs in separate complete-game victories Saturday. The latter matchup was a one-hit outing against Wingate, and the only run she gave up was unearned. Thornton now holds a 1.79 ERA on the season over 47 innings pitched.
Garcia is the baseball team’s first POW recipient of the young season. Thornton, as softball Pitcher of the Week, joins teammate Lorena Spaulding (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.), the week one offensive Player of the Week, as an conference honoree.