Player of the Week: Eric Avila

CHARLESTON, WV (August 20, 2012) - The South Atlantic League office has announced its' Players of the Week for the time period of August 13 through 20 and West Virginia Power infielder Eric Avila was honored for his work during that time span. Avila was the league's Player of the Week after batting .423 over seven games with four home runs and nine runs batted in. This award marks the first time that a West Virginia player has been honored by the league this season.

Over the weekend, Avila became the only second Power in the franchise's history to hit a home run in four consecutive games. The infielder hit a solo home run in Thursday's game at Kannapolis and added a two-run shot on Friday against the Intimidators. Avila added solo home runs on Saturday and Sunday to match the feat that Caleb Gindl accomplished during August of the 2008 season.

During the stretch from August 13-20, Avila played in seven games and had 11 hits over 26 at bats. He also walked four times, doubled four times, and scored seven runs.

Avila, a native of La Romana, Dominican Republic, is batting .285 over 40 games with the Power in 2012. He was the Opening Day third baseman for the second consecutive season, but spent a portion of the year in Extended Spring. Since returning to West Virginia's roster on June 14, Avila is hitting .298 with eight home runs and 23 runs batted in.

West Virginia opens a seven game homestand tonight. The Power will host the Charleston RiverDogs for three days before the Hickory Crawdads come to Appalachian Power Park for four games. The Power enter play tonight tied for second place in the division with Hickory, a game and a half behind the Hagerstown Suns.

For more information, please contact the Power front office at (304) 344-2287.