McKendry earns ACC award
Sophomore struck out eight versus Gators
CORAL GABLES — A day after putting together the best outing of his Hurricanes career, Miami pitcher Evan McKendry earned recognition for his efforts against one of the hardest-hitting lineups in baseball.
McKendry, a sophomore, was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on Monday after striking out eight and allowing just two hits in Miami’s 2-0 win over defending national champion Florida on Sunday at Mark Light Stadium.
McKendry was especially efficient in Sunday’s performance, retiring 12 of the first 13 hitters he faced and needing just 87 pitches to get through six innings. He has, in his two starts this season, now struck out 16 batters while allowing just four walks.
His performance helped the Hurricanes hand Florida its first loss of the season and helped Miami avoid the weekend sweep after the Gators took wins both Friday and Saturday.
This marks the first time since his arrival at Miami that McKendry, a former North Broward Prep standout, has earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors.
“I definitely felt good. It took some time to find some of my pitches, but once I got going, I felt good,” said McKendry after Sunday’s win. “My offspeed was working, my changeup felt good, my slider, I ended up finding. It felt good. Fastball, I was locating pretty well. It definitely feels good, but it’s even better for the team. We all played well. It was a great team win. Hopefully it gets us going.”
He is the second Hurricane to earn conference honors already this young season following UM outfielder Danny Reyes, who was named co-ACC Player of the Week after Miami’s opening-weekend series against Rutgers earlier this month.
The Hurricanes (3-4) are set to travel north to FAU on Wednesday for the first of their three games against the Owls this season. FAU enters the game riding a three-game win streak after sweeping Delaware this past weekend.