Butka and Sharp Sweep UAA Athlete of the Week Awards Following Regional Title

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago baseball team swept the UAA Baseball Athlete of the Week honors this week, as announced by the University Athletic Association on Monday afternoon.

John Butka was named the UAA Pitcher of the Week, and

Jack Sharp was named the UAA Hitter of the Week.

Sharp was named to the All-Regional Team after having one of the best weekends of his career for the Maroons as he finished the week hitting 9-13 at the plate with five runs scored and five RBIs. On Saturday, the Dallas, Texas native launched a three-run home run for just his second long ball of the season, putting the Maroons in front against Scranton.

On Sunday, the economics and astrophysics double major was near-perfect as he was 4-4 at the plate with three runs scored, including the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk-off the first Regional title in program history. In addition to his offense, Sharp was perfect on the defensive side of the ball, fielding 18 ground ball outs in three games without making a single error or allowing a player to reach on an infield single.

Butka was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player after earning the pitching win in two of the three wins for the Maroons. On Friday, the St. Louis, Missouri shut down the Washington and Jefferson offense with 7.0 innings pitched and only three hits and one unearned run allowed.

On Sunday, the senior economics came into the game in relief in the ninth inning and earned the pitching win after the Maroons walked off the game in the bottom of the ninth. Overall for the weekend, Butka threw 8.0 innings with 1 run and 4 hits allowed en route to the first Regional title in UChicago history.

The Pitcher of the Week award is the third of both the season and his career for Butka, and this marks the seventh time in the last eight weeks that the baseball team has been awarded the UAA Pitcher of the Week selection.

The Hitter of the Week selection for Sharp is the first of both the season and his career, and these two Athlete of the Week honors are the 13th and 14th Athlete of the Week awards that the Maroons have earned this season.

Butka, Sharp, and the rest of the UChicago baseball team brought home the first Regional title in program history this weekend after a perfect 3-0 tournament. The Maroons extended their program-record win streak to 19 consecutive games, and they broke the school record for wins in a season, becoming the first 30-win team in 133 years of UChicago baseball.

The University of Chicago will return to action this weekend as the Maroons travel to Maryland for a three-game Super Regional tournament at #6 Salisbury. The first game of the series will take place on Friday at 12 PM ET.