JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Queens University of Charlotte southpaw Joey Ruller was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week, as officially announced by the league on Monday afternoon. The weekly honor is the Royals first of the season, and third in program history since joining the league in 2022.
 
"Friday was a great bounce-back performance from Joey, and it's what we expected out of him," said Queens head coach Jake Hendrick. "He was able to command the baseball at a high level and let the defense work for him, leading to a very efficient outing. This recognition isn't possible without his teammates playing tremendous defense behind him."
 
Making his second start of the young season, the Charlotte native twirled a gem of seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts on 99 pitches. The lefty filled up the zone and let the defense work as he held a no-hitter through 6.1 innings before a one-out single broke the streak for the Salukis only hit of the night.
 
"Huge credit to the defense because I couldn't have done it without them. Earlier in the week, our coach was talking about playing like a team and winning like a team, and our performance tonight was the definition of it. I just pounded the zone and believed in my stuff, knowing I've got guys behind me, and it worked."
 
The seven-inning gem from Ruller was a career high as he turned it over to Jake Young, who closed the door with a pair of clean innings. Ruller's dominance led the Royals to their first shutout since March 28, 2024. The last time Queens surrendered one hit in a single game was March 11, 2022, against Limestone, when the Royals were a Division 2 program.
 
Ruller joins former Royals, and current professionals, Dillon Lewis and Landry Jurecka as ASUN weekly honors recipients.
 
Queens returns to action on Wednesday, February 25^th as the Royals travel to Columbia, South Carolina for a showdown with South Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance here.
 
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