AUBURN, Alabama (EETV)- For the first time in Auburn Baseball history, two players have received a Southeastern Conference honor in the same week. Both Sonny DiChiara and Joseph Gonzalez earned distinction from the conference after playing major roles in Auburn's series victory over No. 12 Vanderbilt.
Senior first-baseman, DiChiara, was tabbed Co-Player of the Week, the Tiger's first Player of the Week since 2018. Sophomore right-handed pitcher, Gonzalez, picked up Co-Pitcher of the Week, the first of this season for Auburn Baseball.
It was his standout performance at the plate that earned DiChiara Player of the Week recognition. He recorded hits in each of the four games this past week, including multiple hits and RBI's that contributed to the three out of four wins for the Tigers. In his first season at Auburn, the Samford transfer leads the league in total bases(18), ties the league lead in homeruns with three, and is tied for third in RBI's with eight.
In the series win over the Commodores, DiChiara added three extra base hits to his resume including the ninth multi-homer game of his career, and drove in a season-high five runs. The senior slugger leads the country in average (.452), on-base percentage (.595) and slugging percentage (.946) and leads the Tigers in doubles (13), homers (11) and RBI (32).
In his work on the mound, the Puerto Rican native Joseph Gonzalez turned in the team's first SEC complete game since Casey Mize in 2018 and the second by an SEC pitcher in league play in the series-clinching win against Vanderbilt.
The righty did not issue a single walk in his second-straight quality start in conference play, and tied his career high with eight strikeouts. In four innings of pitching, he did not allow two baserunners at the same time until there were two outs in the ninth inning.
In the 104 pitches he threw, 81 were strikes. In seven appearances and six starts, Gonzalez leads the Tigers with a 4-0 record and 1.95 ERA. He’s 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in a pair of SEC starts.
Auburn Baseball is back in Plainsman Park this Tuesday at 6 PM to take on DiChiara's former team and in-state foe, Samford.
