Clay Dirks Continues to Impress with Pitching for LSU

Southpaw Steers LSU & Garners Top Honors in SEC

May 2, 2005

BATON ROUGE, LA — LSU sophomore left-hander Clay Dirks was named SEC Pitcher of the Week Monday by the league office.

    Dirks, a native of Hernando, Miss., pitched a brilliant three-hit shutout on Saturday at Arkansas as the Tigers posted a 7-0 victory. Dirks, who allowed just three singles in the contest, walked one and recorded a career-high eight strikeouts.

    He allowed only one Arkansas player to advance to second base, firing 124 pitches in the outing. The shutout was the second of Dirks' career -- he also blanked Tulane last season on four hits.

    Dirks' performance was the best by an LSU pitcher since April 27, 2002, when Brian Wilson fired a three-hit shutout against Arkansas in Baton Rouge. Dirks is 8-1 this season with a 3.06 ERA in 64.2 innings; he has registered 20 walks and 45 strikeouts, and opponents are batting .193 against him.

    Dirks' honor marked the second straight week an LSU player received recognition from the conference office. Second baseman Clay Harris was named SEC Player of the Week last Monday after leading the Tigers to a series victory over Ole Miss.

-- Story/Photo Courtesy of LSU Athletic Department