Palmetto State Baseball team of the week, May 5-11: College of Charleston

College of Charleston (4-0 for the week)
(beat The Citadel; went 3-0 vs. North Carolina A&T)

A six-game conference losing streak near the midpoint of the Coastal Athletic Association - coupled with a torrid stretch by first-place Northeastern  (15 CAA wins during a current 20-game winning streak) - effectively eliminated the Cougars from the regular-season championship race, but coach Chad Holbrook's squad has gotten back on track.

The Cougars have won their last five CAA games - part of a six-game overall streak - to climb into a four-way tie for third place entering the final week of the season.

Jake Brink and Daniel Brooks have given the Cougars a solid foundation to their starting rotation. Alex Lyon has picked up a team-high eight wins out of the bullpen, with Davis Aiken collecting up 10 saves as the closer.

Leadoff hitter Dariyan Pendergrass has been effective setting the table for the rest of the lineup. There's a tight race for the team RBI lead between Landon Penfield (42), Ethan Plyler (42), Dylan Johnson (41), Avery Neaves (41) and Will Baumhofer (39).

Up next: at home against USC Upstate, Tuesday

Also considered

Charleston Southern (2-1)

Coastal Carolina (4-0) - 5 straight Sun Belt Conference series sweeps
Florence-Darlington Tech (2-1) - Region 10 title; one win away from NJCAA World Series
Lander (2-0) - won PBC Tournament title, playoff berth
USC Upstate (4-0) - one game out of Big South lead

Previous winners
Jan. 24-Feb. 2: Claflin

Feb. 3-9: Francis Marion

Feb. 10-16: Coastal Carolina

Feb. 17-23: Coker
Feb. 24-March 2: Clemson

March 3-9: Lander

March 10-16: Florence-Darlington Tech

March 17-23: USC Upstate

March 24-30: USC Sumter

March 31-April 6: Francis Marion

April 7-13: North Greenville
April 14-20: Charleston Southern

April 21-27: Limestone

April 28-May 4: Coastal Carolina