DeLand, Fla. - Stetson's Nick Rickles has been named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week for the week ending April 10, 2011. It is the first weekly conference award for the junior out of Loxahatchee, Florida.

Rickles led the first place Hatters to a three-game sweep over a Kennesaw State team that entered the weekend in second place in the conference. In the series Rickles batted .417 (5-for-12) with a home run, two doubles, six RBI and a slugging percentage of .833. He scored four runs including the game winner in the series finale on Sunday.

On the season he is second on the team with a .352 batting average and leads the team in doubles with 12, RBI with 34 and slugging percentage at .582. He is also tied with Ben Carhart for the team lead in home runs with four.

Rickles, who is on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, is currently on a 12-game hitting streak and has not struck out once this season in 122 at bats. Defensively he leads the A-Sun, including all pitchers, in runners picked off with five, as well as in runners caught stealing with 13.  

The Hatters are 25-7 overall this season and 12-3 in A-Sun games. This week they are ranked #21 in the nation by Baseball America and Perfect Game, as well as #29 by Collegiate Baseball.

Stetson plays USF at home Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. and then will host Savannah State in a three-game non-conference series this weekend beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.