By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech pitcher Carter Gannaway was recognized as both the Ohio Valley Conference's Pitcher of the Week and a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week powered by Diamond Sports as announced by the two entities on Monday, the first such honors of his career.

Gannaway delivered the top performance of his Golden Eagle career last Tuesday, tossing five and two-thirds innings of relief against No. 1 Tennessee at Smokies Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Smokies, the Double-A Minor League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander held the nation's top offensive unit without a hit out of the bullpen, securing his third win of the year in a dominant fashion.

Entering the contest trailing 2-0, Gannaway shut down a scoring threat in the fourth, with a pair of Volunteer runners on base and just one out. After Tech scored once in the fifth to cut the deficit in half, he retired the side in order in the bottom half, securing his first of a career-high nine strikeouts to end the frame. A two-run blast in the sixth gave him all the room he would need to secure the win.

The Decatur, Ala. native responded to his team's offensive backing by striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth and gathering two more punch-outs in the seventh, fanning six-of-seven batters during the stretch. He worked around a pair of walks in the eighth and tallied two more punches in the ninth before inducing the game-winning groundout to third base.

Gannaway became the second Tech hurler to secure OVC Pitcher of the Week honors this season, joining Peyton Calitri, and the second Golden Eagle to be named a National Player of the Week, joining Jason Hinchman. 

Tech will now embark on a five-game road stretch, starting with a Tuesday-night tilt at No. 5 Vanderbilt Apr. 19. First pitch against the Commodores is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT in Nashville.

File photo by Jim Dillon