Kent State Baseball’s Starn Named MAC East Pitcher of the Week
Senior ace southpaw twirled eight shutout innings in a 5-0 victory over No. 9 Georgia Tech last Friday (Feb. 17).
CLEVELAND -- Kent State senior left-handed starting pitcher David Starn (Hudson, Ohio) has been named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the conference office Tuesday (Feb. 21).
Kent State rode the arm of Starn to blank No. 9 Georgia Tech, 5-0, to lift the lid off of the 2012 season in grand fashion in the opening game of the Rock Hill Coca-Cola Classic last Friday (Feb. 17) at the Winthrop Ballpark.
A 2012 Louisville Slugger Third Team Pre-Season All-America selection, Starn twirled eight shutout innings and tallied nine strikeouts while scattering just four hits and walking only two on 104 pitches. He upped his career strikeout total to 229, passing current Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Matt Guerrier (220; 1997-99) for sole possession of third place in school history and improved to 19-9 in his collegiate career with the win. The co-captain tossed his fourth career shutout and second in three starts and struck out six or more batters for the 18th time.
The Golden Flashes earned their second victory over a top-10 team in their last four games dating back to last season courtesy of the triumph over Georgia Tech. Kent State downed then-No. 5 Texas, 7-5, in the second game of the 2011 NCAA Championship Austin Regional last June. The victory also marked the second time Kent State downed GT in as many seasons. The Flashes posted a 6-1 win over the then No. 19-Yellow Jackets on Feb. 20, 2011, at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta. Starn was on the hill for last year's win at Georgia Tech as well, tossing seven innings of four-hit ball and fanning six en route to earning the mound triumph.
Starn was also named a College Baseball 360 Primetime Performer Honor selection and the College Sports Madness MAC Baseball Player of the Week for his efforts.
The Golden Flashes (2-1) split a pair of games on the final day of the Classic Saturday (Feb. 18), falling to No. 9 Georgia Tech, 6-2, but bouncing back to route host Winthrop, 11-3. Kent State is back on the diamond next weekend (Feb. 24-26), traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to battle Lipscomb.
