Elon’s Bakker Chosen as SoCon Pitcher of the Month

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Following a month in which he threw two complete games, including a two-hit shutout of the Southern Conference’s top hitting team, Elon junior righty Lucas Bakker was selected as the SoCon Pitcher of the Month for March.

Bakker was a two-time SoCon pitcher of the week in March, as he went 4-1 with a 1.18 ERA, striking out 25 and issuing just five walks. After opening the month with a loss, Bakker bounced back with 29 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He started that stretch with back-to-back complete games, going the distance in a 5-2 win over Minnesota in which he allowed just five hits and struck out six, allowing two unearned runs. The Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia, native followed that with a two-hit shutout of Georgia Southern, which entered the contest leading the nation with a .345 team batting average and receiving votes in two national polls. Bakker picked up his third straight win the following week against Western Carolina, allowing just an unearned run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings, and closed his month with a win over The Citadel in which he went eight innings and allowed two earned runs. Bakker struck out at least five in each of his last four starts and allowed just five extra-base hits, all of which were doubles, in 38 innings. He held opposing hitters to just a .203 average in the month.

Bakker will take the mound again on Friday night as the Phoenix is slated to take on Samford at 7 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala.