Two players from the VCU Rams were recognized in the last edition of the 2026 Atlantic 10 weekly awards following the team’s sweep of Davidson to end the regular season, according to a May 18 announcement.
The recognition highlights achievements by Patrick Steitz, who earned his second Pitcher of the Week honor this year, and Alec Warden, who was named Rookie of the Week. These awards come after VCU’s strong performance against Davidson.
Steitz contributed significantly in the series opener by pitching six innings with only one hit allowed during VCU’s first combined shutout of the season. He limited opponents to a .056 batting average and secured his team-leading seventh win as part of VCU’s thirtieth victory. Steitz also surpassed seventy strikeouts for the season, reaching seventy-four. His WHIP stands at 1.02, ranking nineteenth nationally, while his ERA leads all pitchers in the conference at 2.96.
Warden had a standout weekend at bat against Davidson with a slash line of .700/.692/1.100 over three games played at second base. He led or tied for team bests with seven hits, five runs scored, and three stolen bases without being caught or striking out once during those games. The redshirt freshman set or matched career highs for hits and runs batted in across multiple games during the series.
Other VCU players have also received A-10 Weekly Awards this season: Nate Kirkpatrick on March 23; Steitz himself on March 17; and Zach Peters on February 17 as Pitcher of the Week.
VCU advances as No. 3 seed to compete in the Atlantic 10 Championship against No. 6 Davidson on Wednesday, May 20 at Capital One Park in Tysons, Virginia.
