Nationals Starting Pitcher, Dakota Bacus, Honored as League's Top Weekly Hurler
Woodbridge, VA--The Potomac Nationals announce today that RHP Dakota Bacus has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 11th - May 17th.
The Moline, IL native toed the rubber twice for Potomac over that span and compiled a record of 2-0 with a microscopic ERA of 0.82. Both starts came against the Baltimore Orioles affiliated Fredrick Keys and Bacus was at his best against the division rival. On May 11th at Pfitzner Stadium Bacus hurled 5.0 innings, allowing only one run on two hits, issuing two walks and striking out a season high seven in the 5-1 victory for the P-Nats. As an encore, Bacus came back in his next start on May 16th at Nymeo Field and danced through six shutout innings against the Keys, allowing four hits and two walks while tying his season high with seven punchouts in the 5-2 Potomac win.
Bacus has played the swing man for Tripp Keister's Nationals this season appearing eight times, five times as a starter and three times out of the bullpen. The Indiana State Alumnus has thrown 27.0 innings for the Red, White and Blue to the tune of a 2.33 ERA, going 2-0 with three saves in three opportunities. He's allowed 23 hits and eight runs (seven earned) with ten walks and 29 strikeouts, holding opposing hitters to a .219 batting average against.
Bacus was originally a 2012 9th round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics from after pitching the Sycamores to their first outright Missouri Valley Conference Championship. As a junior in his final season at ISU the righty went 7-4 with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 89 and setting the school record for innings pitched with a 116.2 stanzas on the mound.
Acquired by Washington in the trade that sent catcher Kurt Suzuki back to Oakland in 2013, Bacus has a career ledger of 20-11 across four levels. In 73 games covering 38 starts his ERA stands at 3.59 and he is eight out of ten in saves. In 288.1 innings he's allowed 281 hits and 129 runs (115 earned). The righty has struck out an impressive 219 batters to only walking 87 and opposing swingers have hit .256 against him.
The honor marks the first league weekly award Bacus has earned in his professional career after being named a post-season all-star in 2012 while a member of the Athletics organization and he becomes the second Potomac Nationals to garner a Carolina League weekly award after RHP Brian Rauh (April 20th - 26th), now with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, earned one earlier in the campaign.
The P-Nats hauled in five weekly honors in 2014, including 1B/DH Kevin Keyes, RHP Austin Voth (two), 3B/DH Oscar Tejeda and RHP Ian Dickson, who all claimed Carolina League Player of the Week Awards a season ago.
The Potomac Nationals play at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia, and are the Carolina League affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Potomac Nationals have claimed five Carolina League Championship titles (1982, 1989, 2008, 2010, and 2014) and nine CL Northern Division Championships. The P-Nats are the defending Carolina League Champions after winning the 2014 Mills Cup Championship Series. Potomac Nationals 2015 season tickets and mini plans are now on sale. Sponsorship opportunities for the 2015 season and beyond are available. Corporate outing reservations for the 2015 season to watch the future stars of the Washington Nationals at The Pfitz may be placed now as the P-Nats offer discounted group rates and all-inclusive picnics. Visit the P-Nats online at www.potomacnationals.com or call the Potomac Nationals Ticket Office at 703-590-2311 for more information!