Faison, Leigh named to D1Baseball top-50 lists

Texas State junior infielder Wesley Faison and senior right-handed pitcher Zachary Leigh were both recognized by D1Baseball.com’s top-50 lists for their respective classes this week.

Faison was ranked as the No. 22 junior hitter after leading the team with a .352 batting average (19-for-54), posting six home runs, 15 RBIs, a .455 on-base percentage and a .704 slugging percentage. He tied the Bobcats’ program record by hitting a home run in three consecutive games from Feb. 29 to March 3. D1Baseball graded each hitter based on “Plate Discipline, Hit Ability and Game Power and combined them to calculate an Analytics Score.” Faison received a grade of 88.4 out of 100.

Leigh (1-1) was listed as the 25th-best senior pitcher, throwing for a 1.88 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 24 innings pitched over four starts. He fanned 33 batters — fifth-most in the Sun Belt Conference — with a career-high 11 strikeouts coming in a 5-0 home victory against Bethune-Cookman on March 6. D1Baseball graded each pitcher based on “Zone Control, Pitch Ability and Durability” to determine their Analytics Score. Leigh received a grade of 87.6 out of 100.

Texas State was 14-4 on the season and riding a seven-game winning streak before the Sun Belt canceled all organized athletics-related activities on March 16 due to concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The NCAA Division I Council Committee agreed in a statement on March 13 that eligibility relief is appropriate for student-athletes participating in spring sports, though a formal vote on the matter will be taken on March 30.