NEW YORK – Sophomore pitcher Jake Francis and freshman outfielder John Freitag were both named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor roll, the conference announced Monday (March 31). It is Francis' second appearance on the honor roll this season, and the first weekly conference honor of Freitag's career.
 
Francis shut down LIU in Sunday's 3-1 series-clinching win, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings and tallying a career-high five strikeouts. The sophomore allowed just three hits and one walk, improving to 4-0 on the season.
 
The Westfield, N.J., native leads the Wildcats in wins, ERA (3.52) and WHIP (1.14), all while being one of two Villanova players with two or more saves this season. With 18 strikeouts and just three walks this year, Francis' K:BB ratio of 6.00 is tied for 30th highest in the nation.
 
Meanwhile, at the plate, Freitag was nearly impossible to keep off the base paths during Villanova's 3-1 week, recording a .571 batting average and a .625 on-base percentage over four games. His stellar performance was highlighted by a grand slam, two doubles and five RBI in a 12-0 win over Delaware State (March 25).
 
With eight RBI in his last four games, Freitag has recorded more than half of his season RBI total (15) in the last week. He has leapt into the top five among Wildcats in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs and doubles.
 
Up next, Francis and Freitag will face Rider in the Liberty Bell Classic semifinal on Tuesday (April 1) at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. First pitch is scheduled for 3:25 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on FloSports.