http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_87109.asp
Noochie Varner Named TOPPS SL Player Of The Month
by Tim Evearitt
posted June 6, 2006
Photo by Tim Evearitt
Noochie Varner batted .404 in May with six homers and 34 RBI.
Click to enlarge photo.
Marietta, Ga --- Chattanooga Lookouts' left fielder Noochie Varner has been named the TOPPS Player of the Month for May.
Varner enjoyed a spectacular month, hitting. .404 with six home runs and 34 RBI. He led all Southern Leaguers in RBI for the month, and was tiedfor the league lead with 38 stolen bases while ranking second in batting average and tied for third in home runs.
The Cynthiana, KY native raised his average from .206 to .325 over the course of the month. He collected hitting streaks of 7, 5, and 4 games. Varner recorded at least one hit in 21 of 28 contests and collected 12 multi-hit games along the way, including five three-hit games.
Varner came through in the clutch all month long, driving in the game-winning run on six occasions. He singled three times to win the game, doubled once, and hit two sacrifice flies.
The 25-year old twice drove in five runs in a game twice during the month.
For the season, Varner is hitting at a .297 clip, good for ninth in the league. His 36 RBI are tied for second in the league. He has also hit six home runs, collected 52 hits, and scored 29 runs. He was previously named the BC Powder SL Hitter of the Week for the week of May 22-28.
The Cincinnati Reds selected Varner in the 10th round of the 2000 draft. He played in the Detroit Tigers, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks organizations before signing as a free agent with his original club in 2006.