EAST GREENSBORO – Over the weekend, the North Carolina A&T baseball team completed its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) three-game series sweep in program history. The Aggies received some acknowledgment for the milestone on Monday when right-hander Coley Kilpatrick earned CAA co-pitcher of the week honors after his complete-game win over William & Mary last Friday.
The Aggies defeated the Tribe 2-1 on Friday behind Kilpatrick's gutsy performance. In the nine-inning outing, Kilpatrick gave up three hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts. It was the first complete game by an Aggies hurler in four years when Tim Luth pitched a complete game against Bethune-Cookman on March 22, 2019.
Kilpatrick held the Tribe to one hit over the first six frames and carried a shutout into the ninth before giving up a solo homer. He enters this week 3-4 on the season. Kilpatrick threw 132 pitches while keeping the Aggies bullpen rested for the remaining two games of the series.
A&T used Kilpatrick's effort to win the final two games of the series partially because the Aggies bullpen was effective. RHP Trent Simmons pitched four innings of relief for Saturday starter Xavier Meachem and earned the win by striking out five and not giving up a run or walk. On Sunday, RHP and relief pitcher Jake Delisi won by pitching four innings, striking out two, walking two and giving up two runs on four hits to improve to 2-1.
The weekend keeps the Aggies in contention for qualifying for the CAA baseball tournament. The top six teams qualify for the Mt. Pleasant, S.C. conference tournament, May 24-27. A&T will enter this weekend's three-game series at Stony Brook in seventh place in the CAA standings.
Kilpatrick shared the pitcher of the week honor with Charleston's Ty Good. Kilpatrick captured the second weekly honor of the season for the Aggies after Tre Williams won CAA co-player of the Week on March 27.
