Richmond Flying Squirrels left-hander Joe Whitman has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for April 28-May 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday afternoon.
On Saturday night against the Somerset Patriots at The Diamond, Whitman threw six perfect innings and set a career high with 10 strikeouts.
Whitman retired all 18 batters he faced on Saturday. It was his fifth start this year, his first season at Double-A, and his first winning decision at the level.
In Saturday’s game, the Flying Squirrels pitching staff took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before a one-out double. Richmond beat Somerset in the game, 4-1, for the team’s third consecutive win.
Whitman, a native of Akron, Ohio, was selected the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants out of Kent State University, where he was the MAC Pitcher of the Year. He also spent two seasons at Purdue University. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 7 Giants prospect and No. 10 by Baseball America.
This week’s selection marked the first weekly award pick of Whitman’s professional career.
Flying Squirrels outfielder Carter Howell was also named the Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday, marking the fifth time in franchise history the team has swept the league’s weekly awards, joining Daniel Mayora and Justin Fitzgerald (July 9-16, 2012), Steven Duggar and Andrew Suarez (July 18-24, 2016), Brett Auerbach and Wil Jensen (August 1-7, 2022) and Grant McCray and John Michael Bertrand (May 20-26, 2024).
The Flying Squirrels open a six-game series on the road against the Harrisburg Senators on Tuesday night. Following the road trip, the team returns to The Diamond for a six-game series against the Erie SeaWolves from May 13-18. Tickets are on sale online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
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