SHREVEPORT, La. - For the second consecutive year, senior Kaleb Kirk was honored in the early part of the season by D3baseball.com. Released Tuesday, February 13, he was named to the initial Team of the Week.
Also with two more preseason polls released in recent weeks, the Diamond Gents are ranked fourth by Perfect Game and 10th by Baseball America. So far in 2018, the Gents are 5-1, batting .332 with a 2.25 ERA.
Meanwhile individually, Kirk is 2-0 so far this season, having allowed no runs and struck out 13 in 11.2 innings pitched in two starts. He was named the initial Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for 2018 when he struck out 10 against just three infield hits in Centenary's season-opening win against Pacific February 2.
The Centenary NCAA Division III record holder for wins tallied his 25th victory of his career February 9 against Belhaven, pitching five innings of shutout baseball - allowing four hits while striking out three in the Gents 10-0 triumph against the Blazers. The win also moves Kirk to 13th in the SCAC Career annals in victories.
In his last seven starts, dating back to last season, Kirk holds a 7-0 record and a 2.04 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched.
It is the 10th time overall a Centenary student-athlete has been named to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week (In 2017, junior Kaleb Kirk and Senior Michael Schimpf week one; Zapata week four; Kirk week five; Schimpf week six; and Zapata week 10 and week 12; In 2016, Holden Novak week one and week five).
Centenary returns to action Friday, February 16, for its first road contest of the season. The Gents take on LeTourneau in Longview, Texas, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
