CLEVELAND – Western Michigan senior first baseman
Cade Sullivan and junior right-handed pitcher
Turner Doran were honored by the Mid-American Conference on Monday as Sullivan was named Co-Player of the Week and Doran was selected as the league's Pitcher of the Week.
Sullivan opened the season with a monstrous week at the plate, as he went 10-for-16 (.625) with two doubles, two homers, 10 runs scored, six RBIs and a .714 on-base percentage.
After scoring three times, including what ended up being the game-winning run, in the 11-inning Opening Day victory over Michigan on Friday, Sullivan went a combined 8-for-8 in the two games of Saturday's doubleheader against the Wolverines. The senior scored a career-high fives times in game one of the twin bill, including the tying run in the ninth inning which forced the game into extra innings. In the 10th, he blasted a go-ahead, two-run shot to help the Broncos defeat U-M in extra frames for the second straight day. His game-winning home run was the school record-breaking 29th of his Western Michigan career. The Naperville, Ill., native went 4-for-4 again in game two of Saturday's doubleheader before capping the weekend with his 30th career home run on Sunday.
Doran shined in his first appearance as a Bronco, as he fired four scoreless innings, while allowing just one baserunner, to earn the win in relief in Western Michigan's 11-9, 10-inning victory over Michigan on Saturday.
The righty came on with two runners on and no outs in the seventh and kept the Wolverines off of the board to keep WMU's deficit at one. Doran retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced, including the last 10 in a row, while piling up seven strikeouts. The lone batter who reached against him was intentionally walked. The junior's effort allowed the Broncos to rally to force extra innings and eventually win it in 10 innings, earning him the victory in his WMU debut.
Western Michigan heads back out west again this coming week as it heads to Malibu, Calif., to face Pepperdine. The Broncos and Waves open up their weekend series on Friday, Feb. 23, at 4:30 pm.
