March 30, 2004
WEST POINT, N.Y. - After helping Army to five wins in six games and authoring one of the finest stretches of his collegiate career, junior second baseman Nate Stone has been named Patriot League "Player of the Week."
A native of Bellefonte, Pa. (Bellefonte H.S.), Stone batted .444 in six contests last week, collecting eight base hits in 18 official plate appearances. Seven of his eight hits went for extra bases, finishing the week with six doubles, one home run, seven runs scored and seven runs batted in.
Stone posted a gaudy .944 slugging percentage during the six-game stretch and blasted what proved to be a game-winning three-run home run during Sunday's first game against Lehigh. In a 9-8 defeat of the Mountain Hawks the previous day, Stone went 3-for-4 with three doubles and three runs scored.
In all, he batted .500 (6-12) with four runs scored and five runs batted in over the weekend as Army defeated Lehigh three times during a four game Patriot League series. All six of his hits went for extra bases against the Mountain Hawks, smacking five doubles and one home run.
Stone raised his seasonal batting average 13 points on the week and currently tops the team at .409. He also leads the club in doubles (10), total bases (43), slugging percentage (.652) and on-base percentage (.500). Additionally, he shares the team lead in runs scored (20) and base hits (27).
A starter since arriving at the Academy as a freshman three years ago, Stone has adjusted nicely to a position switch from shortstop to second base during the offseason. It marks the third different position at which he's started after spending his freshman campaign at third base.
For the season, he is batting .409 with two home runs and 16 runs batted in and remains a strong candidate for postseason honors.
It marks the third straight week that an Army player has walked off with at least one of the Patriot League's top weekly awards. Two weeks ago, Nick Hill and Milan Dinga were named "Pitcher of the Week" and "Freshman of the Week," respectively, while Hill was chosen "Freshman of the Week" last Monday.
Army (13-9 overall 3-1 Patriot), which holds a share of first place in the Patriot League standings following the opening weekend of conference play, returns to non-league action on Wednesday when the Black Knights host New York Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field.