Nestor Named Atlantic 10 Player Of Week; Zuercher Tabbed Pitcher Of Week

April 5, 2004

KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island sophomores Josh Nestor and Zach Zuercher each earned Atlantic 10 honors this week.

Nestor, the Rams' catcher, was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after hitting .777 with six RBIs in three games last week.

Zuercher was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week after tossing a three-hit shutout against LaSalle and recording a save against Connecticut on April 3.

Nestor went 7-for-9 in three games, including a perfect 4-for-4 in two conference wins over La Salle, raising his average to .378 on the season, second-best on the Rams. He had an .833 on-base percentage in the three games, including a perfect 1.000 in conference play, getting on base all seven times he came to the plate in a doubleheader with La Salle.

Nestor went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in an 8-2 win over the Explorers, coming up with two clutch hits with the bases loaded, both coming after La Salle had intentionally walked Dan Batz, the Atlantic 10's top hitter. He also drove the game-winning run in the second game of the doubleheader with La Salle on a RBI-single. He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a win over Connecticut on March 30.

Zuercher pitched a three-hitter, striking out eight without walking a batter in picking up the complete game 2-0 victory over La Salle on April 3. On March 30, he came in and recorded two outs to earn a save in a 7-5 win over UConn.

The Rams finished the week at 10-12-1 overall and are 3-2 in the conference.