VMI’s Tharp named SoCon Baseball Player of the Week

VMI outfielder Tyler Tharp has been named the SoCon Player of the Week, according to information released by the league office Monday.

Tharp hit .529 and slugged 1.294 last week as the Keydets went 2-2 with a series win over UNCG. The senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, hit four home runs and a double among his nine hits on the week. He had six RBIs and scored five runs.

Against VCU on Tuesday, Tharp was 2-for-4 with a run scored. In Friday’sopener against the Spartans, he went 3-for-4 with four RBIs on three homers, becoming the first league player to hit three round-trippers in a contest this season and the first VMI player to do so in 21 years.

Tharp had an RBI and another three hits, including a double, in VMI’s series-clinching, 8-7 win on Saturday, before closing the series with a solo homer in Sunday’s 8-5 loss.

The weekly award is the first of Tharp’s career.

VMI (20-27, 6-12 SoCon) will face Furman (25-22, 12-9) this weekend to close out the road portion of its regular-season schedule.