Following a career-defining performance on the mound in Saturday's Game 1 victory against Mississippi Gulf Coast, Northwest sophomore lefty Colton Presley has been selected as this week's MACCC Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday morning.
Presley, a native of Hernando, threw all nine innings during the Rangers' 3-1 triumph against the Bulldogs, delivering 13 strikeouts while surrendering a single walk and an earned run. It was the longest outing of his career and a new strikeout record for Presley, who surpassed his previous best of 10 strikeouts set during the 2021 season finale at Southwest Mississippi.
His impressive outing also placed him alongside some legendary company, as Presley became just the third Northwest pitcher since 2010 to throw 13 or more strikeouts in a single game, joining major leaguer Cody Reed (2x; 2013) and current University of Memphis pitcher Dalton Fowler (2020).
Presley improved his season record to 2-0 on the mound, while his ERA moved to a team-best 1.93. The sophomore has 34 strikeouts on the season against six walks and six earned runs.
It's the season's first conference player of the week honor for Northwest, which currently sits at 12-10 on the season and 2-4 in the MACCC. The Rangers will face East Mississippi on Wednesday, March 23 (weather permitting) at 2/5 P.M.
