CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Danville’s Cole Johnson and Cyle Phelan were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of June 17-23.
Johnson, 19, garnered Hitter of the Week honors after batting .524 (11-for-21) with two home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI in six games for the Otterbots. He led all qualified Appy League hitters during the period in hits, home runs (tied), doubles, total bases (21), RBI, slugging (1.000) and OPS (1.542).
Johnson recorded at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in all six contests for Danville, posting four multi-hit and five multi-RBI performances. The first baseman was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI in Danville’s week-opener at Elizabethton on June 18 and was 2-for-5 with another double, two more RBI and two runs scored the following day. Johnson was 5-for-8 with a home run, his first of the season, a double and four RBI in a doubleheader against Bristol on June 20. During Danville’s weekend home series against Pulaski, Johnson went 1-for-4 with an RBI double Saturday and hit a two-run home run Sunday in a 1-for-3 showing.
Johnson, an Austin, Texas native, improved his season average from .200 to .366 during his award-winning week, with his OPS also soaring from .633 to 1.097, the third-best mark among qualified Appy League hitters. Currently, he's second in the circuit in slugging (.659) and RBI (tied-15), owns a share of the Appy League doubles lead (tied-6) and ranks sixth in total bases (28). Johnson is in the transfer portal after spending his freshman campaign on Oklahoma State’s roster. He was a two-time all-state selection at Lake Travis High (Texas), where he hit .458 with eight home runs as a senior in 2023.
Phelan, 21, received Pitcher of the Week honors after registering nine strikeouts in five scoreless innings across two outings (one start) for the Otterbots. The left-hander’s 0.00 ERA is tied for the Appy League’s best mark, and he tied for fourth in strikeouts. Phelan had five strikeouts in three scoreless innings during his June 19 relief appearance at Elizabethton. He added two more scoreless frames with four strikeouts in his June 23 start against Pulaski, allowing two hits and a walk.
The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., native has not allowed a run in the Appalachian League this summer, totaling 15 strikeouts in nine scoreless innings across four appearances (one start). His .069 opponent batting average and 0.56 WHIP are the third- and fourth-best marks among qualified Appy League pitchers this season. Phelan pitched in 10 games as a UNC Wilmington junior this past spring, registering 18 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. He’s logged 35 appearances, including 13 starts, in three seasons with the Seahawks, compiling 79 strikeouts in 87.2 innings.
