February 29, 2012
San Antonio – Awards are nothing new to the St. Mary’s baseball team. This one, though, is a little bigger than most.
St. Mary’s ace Carl O’Neal has been named the National Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America, it was announced Wednesday.
O’Neal, a junior from Clark High School in San Antonio, flirted with a no-hitter in a complete-game shutout of Oklahoma Panhandle State last week. O’Neal fanned 11 and surrendered just a single hit in the 2-0 victory for the Rattlers, who on Tuesday moved up to No. 6 in the nation in the NCBWA’s latest poll.
It marks the second time in as many seasons that a Rattler has won the national award, as senior slugger Tyler Migl of San Antonio was named by NCBWA the National Hitter of the Week early last season.
The Rattlers (14-2, 12-0 in Heartland Conference) have won 32 of their last 36 games going back to the end of last season.