DAHLONEGA – University of North Georgia baseball redshirt sophomore first baseman Phillip Ard has been named as the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Player of the Week per the league office's announcement Monday. 

Ard absolutely crushed the ball last weekend against No. 15 Georgia Southwestern. 

In Thursday's comeback victory, he took the 2023 PBC Pitcher of the Year deep with a solo shot in the seventh inning. Ard's deep shot is the only one Hurricane pitcher Nick McCollum has allowed this season. 

Then, trailing by four runs in the ninth, Ard's second solo home run of the game led off the inning and sparked a five-run comeback to end UNG's five-game losing streak. 

He homered again the next day, a two run shot, to put the Nighthawks in the driver's seat on their way to a 5-1 win. 

GSW has given up just 20 home runs this season. Four of them (20 percent) came against the Nighthawks in two games and three of those were courtesy of Ard.

In total, Ard went 4-for-10 (.400) with three home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored and two walks in the three game series. 

He now leads the Nighthawks in batting average (.342), home runs (6), slugging percentage (.622) and on base percentage (.526).

Ard and UNG eye another ranked opponent on the schedule now as No. 17 West Florida travels to Dahlonega for a pair of midweek games. The Nighthawks and Argonauts will square off on Tuesday and Wednesday this week from Bob Stein Stadium.

Tuesday's opening game of the series will begin at 6 p.m. and can be streamed live right here on the Nighthawk Sports Network.