March 17, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Just one month into the 2008 baseball season, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three student-athletes sharing league weekly honors for the second time this season. Duke's Alex Hassan gets the nod for ACC Player of the Week for games played through March 11-17, while Florida State's Matt Fairel and Virginia's Pat McAnaney have been recognized as ACC Co-Pitchers of the Week.

The first Blue Devil to be tabbed ACC Player of the Week since 2005, Hassan pulled double duty in three of the five games for Duke last week. On the mound, the sophomore picked up three saves in Duke's 5-2 win against Quinnipiac last Tuesday and a pair against No. 16 Virginia on Friday (9-8) and Sunday (4-1). He combined for five innings pitched, allowing three hits and striking out three. A native of Boston, Mass., Hassan also had a productive week on the field. He accounted for the go-ahead runs in two games, driving in the go-ahead RBI against Quinnipiac and scoring the winning run against Richmond. Hassan batted .500 (6-for-12) in the Virginia series after stepping into the leadoff spot. He also put together a .619 on base percentage for the week.

Fairel, who hails from Winter Haven, Fla., recorded career highs in innings pitched (8.0) and strikeouts (9) as No. 3 Florida State defeated 11th-ranked Georgia Tech 11-2 last Saturday. Eight of the nine strikeouts posted by the sophomore southpaw came in the final four innings, as he closed out the night striking out the side in the eighth. Fairel is now 4-0 on the year with a 1.00 ERA in 27 innings of work.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., McAnaney threw his first career complete game last Saturday as No. 14 Virginia collected a 10-1 win over Duke. After allowing an unearned run in the second inning, the senior southpaw dominated from the mound retiring 14-consecutive batters and 19 of the next 20. McAnaney, who earns his first league award, allowed four hits, one walk and struck out eight on the day.

All three schools will hit the field tomorrow and later return to conference play this weekend. Duke wraps up a 21-game homestand, hosting Hartford on Tuesday and Wednesday with both games scheduled for 3 p.m.

Florida State has one non-conference contest this week, traveling to Florida for a 6:30 p.m. meeting. It will be the third television appearance for the Seminoles this season, as the game will be broadcast by FSN South.

Virginia will begin a 12-game homestand over the next two weeks, starting with a pair of games against Stony Brook on Tuesday and Wednesday at 4 p.m.