NEW YORK -- The MLB Draft League announced that West Virginia’s Trace Willhoite and Christian Womble were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the extended period of Aug. 26 to Sept. 4.
Willhoite, 23, earned Hitter of the Week honors after batting .367 (11-for-30) with five home runs, one double, nine RBI and 10 runs scored in eight games for the Black Bears. The third baseman led all MLB Draft League hitters during the period in home runs, runs scored, total bases (27), slugging (.900) and OPS (1.386). He also ranked second (tied) in RBI, was third in extra-base hits (tied-6) and finished fifth and sixth in walks (tied-5) and average, respectively.
Willhoite hit safely in seven games for West Virginia, producing three multi-hit and multi-RBI efforts apiece. He went 3-for-5 with a solo home run at State College on Aug. 27 and followed it with a 2-for-4 performance the next day, hitting a double and scoring two runs. He added two more RBI in the series finale, finishing 1-for-4.
Willhoite homered in a Draft League-record four straight games from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, beginning with a two-run shot in the eighth inning at Frederick on Aug. 30. He hit a solo shot in a 1-for-4 performance against the Keys on Sept. 1 and again facing Mahoning Valley the following day, when he was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Leading off the bottom of the ninth against the Scrappers on Sept. 3, Willhoite belted a walk-off home run to extend his streak and help keep West Virginia in the playoff race. Earlier in the season, Willhoite had homered in three straight games (Aug. 11-13) and back-to-back games (Aug. 25, 27).
Willhoite hit .306 (44-for-144) with 10 home runs, 10 doubles, one triple, 34 RBI and 29 runs scored in 39 games for the Black Bears this season as a professional player. He finished with a .389 OBP and .597 slugging en route to a .986 OPS. Willhoite led all MLB Draft League professional players in home runs, extra-base hits (21), total bases (86), slugging and OPS. He also finished third in RBI (tied), fifth in runs scored (tied) and seventh in hits (tied). His .955 OPS and seven home runs paced the circuit during the regular season's final month, and he tallied 27 RBI in 27 games during that stretch.
A Georgetown, Ky., native, Willhoite was an ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I Southeast All-Region Second Team and Second Team All-ASUN selection this year after hitting .303 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI as a Lipscomb graduate student. Playing 175 games over three seasons with the Bisons, Willhoite hit .288 and slugged .607 while producing a program-record 53 home runs and 169 RBI.
Womble, 23, garnered Pitcher of the Week honors after he went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts for the Black Bears. Leading all Draft League pitchers during the period with 15 innings pitched, the right-hander mixed eight hits with two walks while racking up 19 strikeouts. He finished the period with a 0.67 WHIP and .163 BAA.
Womble allowed two runs on five hits over a season-best eight innings to earn the win at State College on Aug. 28. He struck out 10, also a season-high, without issuing a walk, throwing 71 of 113 pitches for strikes in the outing. Making his final regular-season start against Mahoning Valley on Sept. 3, Womble permitted one earned run on three hits in seven innings, compiling nine strikeouts against two walks in the no-decision.
Womble went 2-0 in his final three regular-season starts for the Black Bears. In that span, the right-hander posted a 1.29 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22.0 innings. Overall, Womble went 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 11 games (eight starts) during the MLB Draft League’s second half, posting a 1.23 WHIP with 50 strikeouts over 52 2/3 innings. Including his time with West Virginia in the first half as an amateur player, Womble was 2-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 21 games (12 starts). He totaled 75 strikeouts and 25 walks in 81 innings between the two halves, finishing with a 1.36 WHIP and .269 BAA.
A Pittsfield, Mass., native, Womble had a 3.61 ERA with nine saves in 24 games this year as a Jackson State senior. He had 62 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings, during which he limited the opposition to a .203 average. Womble was 7-4 with a 4.23 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 106 1/3 innings and 31 appearances (13 starts) during his two seasons with the Tigers. He represented Jackson State in the 2024 HBCU Swingman Classic.
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