Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina junior transfer right-handed pitcher Brandon Langley was today named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week for his strong relief performances in games played March 3-9.
 
Langley collects his first career honor and the second in as many weeks for WCU this spring, joining Mason Holton who was named the SoCon Player of the Week back on March 3. He is the first Catamount pitcher since Jonathan Todd to earn recognition last March 18.
 
The conference office selects and announces the weekly awards based on nominations submitted by the communications or media relations contacts from each member institution.
 
Langley made two relief appearances last week, earning a win and a save in WCU's two victories against teams from both the Big Ten and Sun Belt Conferences. The USC Lancaster transfer struck out 10 batters on the week, allowing just one base hit in five scoreless innings out of the Catamount bullpen.

Last Wednesday, Langley scored his first win in the Purple & Gold while boosting WCU's seasonal record to 3-1 against the Big Ten Conference with the 10-7, come-from-behind victory over Michigan State at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. He struck out six of the seven Spartan batters he faced, including the first four in a row to record the third out in the seventh inning and fanned the side in the eighth before tallying two more punchouts in a 1-2-3 ninth.
 
His work on the mound in the South Carolina Upstate allowed WCU to rally with six runs without a hit in the top of the ninth inning to earn the neutral field victory. Langley did not allow a base runner and earned the win, his first in a Catamount uniform.
 
In last Saturday's victory over Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia State, Langley tossed a season-long 2.2 innings to earn the save against Georgia State in WCU's 16-12 win. The New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island product countered three walks and one base hit with four strikeouts in closing the series-tying victory.
 
After surrendering a single to the first batter he faced in coming on in the seventh inning, Langley induced a flyout to right and a popup to first base to strand a pair of runners. In the eighth, he worked around a pair of free passes with a pair of strikeouts and flyout to center before leaving a fifth runner aboard after a two-out walk as WCU evened the series with a 16-12 win.
 
On the season, Langley has five relief appearances with a 1-0 record with a save over 6.2 innings out of the bullpen. He's allowed just one earned run on two hits for a 1.35 ERA and a .091 batting average against. Langley ranks third on the Catamount squad with 14 strikeouts against five walks.
 
Before coming to WCU, Langley compiled a 3-4 record with five saves in two seasons at USC Lancaster where he totaled 63 strikeouts against 19 walks with just four of the 25 hits he allowed going for extra bases.
 
Western Carolina (7-9) closes a five-game road swing on Tuesday afternoon by visiting Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, S.C., in the first of five regular-season meetings between the Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs. Tuesday's game has a 4 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). WCU then returns home to host Eastern Illinois for a three-game nonconference series this weekend beginning Friday at 4 p.m., with first pitch Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Single-game tickets can be purchased in advance in person through the first-floor Athletics Ticket Office in the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
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