FREELAND, Mich.-- Trine's Ben Wheaton has been named the MIAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Wheaton (Kalamazoo, Mich./Hackett Catholic Central) fired seven innings of shutout relief work to help the Thunder to a 3-0 victory. The sophomore allowed four hits and struck out four as Trine posted its first nine-inning shutout of an opponent since 2004. Wheaton threw 92 pitches in the outing, 60 of which came in for strikes. He is being honored as Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career.
Wheaton has struck out eight through his first two outings this season to equal his total in six starts last spring. He leads the team with 11 innings pitched, holding a 1-0 record with a 4.09 ERA. His strikeout rate of 6.55 per nine innings ranks second among Thunder starting pitchers.
Trine concluded its spring-break trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a 3-5 overall record. The Thunder travel to Ohio Northern for a non-conference doubleheader this Saturday, Mar. 19. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.