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MVNU's Laughlin Earns Pitcher of the Week Honors Again
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director

Photo of Mike Laughlin

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Mike Laughlin, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team, has been selected as the American Mideast Conference and NAIA Region IX Pitcher of the Week for his performance during the week of April 4-10. This marks the second time this season that Laughlin has earned these honors.

Laughlin, a 6-foot-4 freshman right-hander from Mogadore, Ohio, posted a 2-0 record on the mound with one save and a 1.20 earned run average as the Cougars posted a 5-1 record for the week. The former Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy standout recorded 13 strikeouts in 15 innings of work and issued just three walks.

Laughlin began the week by tossing a two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win at Tiffin University as he issued just three walks while striking out seven batters for his second shutout of the year. He followed that up by pitching a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout to preserve a 7-5 win at Ohio Dominican University, who was ranked 13th in the NAIA national poll. Then, he closed the week with a 4-3 victory at Ohio Dominican as he allowed just five hits, no walks, and two earned runs over seven innings with five strikeouts. All five strikeouts came in the final two innings, and Laughlin needed just 76 pitches in tossing the complete game.

On the season, Laughlin has posted a 6-1 record with a 2.55 ERA as he leads MVNU in wins. In 42 1/3 innings of work, he has struck out a team-high 45 batters while issuing just 14 walks. Opposing batters are hitting just .166 against him.

MVNU is currently 19-9 overall and ranked 20th in the latest NAIA national poll. The Cougars are also in first place in the American Mideast Conference South Division with a 7-1 mark. The team will return to action on Thursday when MVNU will travel to Urbana University for another AMC South Division doubleheader that will begin at 1:00 p.m.