Varela-Payne Collects Fourth MEC Pitcher of the Week Honor

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Sophomore pitcher Kaden Varela-Payne of the Concord University baseball team has been named the Mountain East Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
 
Varela-Payne showcased brilliance on the bump once again, tossing the first solo shutout for Concord since May of 2019 when Will Guay blanked UVa.-Wise, 8-0. The Mountain Lions defeated Davis & Elkins in game one of the series with a 7-0 victory.
 
In the seven-inning game, Varela-Payne allowed just four hits, issuing one walk and punching out eight batters. He improved to 4-4 this year as he only allowed one runner to get past first base. He also faced the minimum four times in his start. The Raleigh, North Carolina native has now tossed four complete games on the season.
 
Varela-Payne tallied four of his eight strikeouts in the second and third innings alone. On the season, the right-hander leads the MEC with 57 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 53.2.
 
This is Varela-Payne's fourth time taking home the award this season, the most in the conference this season.
 
Frostburg State's Jackson Schalick was named the MEC Player of the Week.
 
CU begins a nine-game homestand starting with a four-game MEC South Division series versus West Virginia Wesleyan 1:00 p.m. Saturday.