IRVING, Texas — After slugging WKU Baseball to four-game win streak, center fielder Jacob Rhinesmith was named Conference USA Hitter of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The junior slashed an astounding .550/.571/1.250 in four games, hitting 11-for-20 with six extra-base hits (four homeruns and two doubles). He scored 10 runs and drove in eight for the Hilltoppers.
Rhinesmith follows teammate Dillon Nelson, who earned C-USA Hitter of the Week honors on Feb. 26. It is the third time WKU has won multiple Hitter of the Week awards since joining the league prior to the 2015 season. Anderson Miller was crowned twice in 2015, while Steven Kraft and Thomas Peter were each honored once in 2016.
The Shakopee, Minn., native had three hits, two runs and two RBI in 3-of-4 games, including a career-high four hits and four runs scored in the series finale vs. Bowling Green.
All four of his hits in Game 2 of WKU's doubleheader were extra-base hits (two homeruns and two doubles) for 12 total bases, tying the most by a Hilltopper since game-by-game records began in 2005, but was the first to do so since Matt Payton at VCU on March 20, 2010. Also, his four runs scored were the most by a Hilltopper since Danny Hudzina at Louisiana Tech on April 4, 2015.
Rhinesmith currently leads C-USA with seven homeruns, 28 hits, 11 extra-base hits and a .809 slugging percentage. Nationally, he ranks seventh in homeruns, ninth in hits, 12th in slugging percentage and second with 55 total bases.
In a 15-7 win at Belmont and a 17-5 win vs. Bowling Green, WKU scored 15-plus runs in consecutive games for the first time since March 19-20, 2010, a span of 440 games in-between. A three-game sweep of Bowling Green over the weekend was the Hilltoppers' first of a non-conference opponent since 2015.
In addition, Rhinesmith was named the College Sports Madness National Player of the Week. He was also listed among Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Players of the Week, only 1-of-5 hitters honored across all of Division I.
Topper Quotes
- "It was great for the team to get four wins this week," Rhinesmith said. "We lost some close games to good teams early in the year and that was tough, but we are just trying to play it one pitch at a time and get better every single day."
- "We are very proud of Jacob being named Conference USA Hitter of the Week," head coach John Pawlowski said. "It's a well-deserved honor for the tremendous week he had, helping us as we prepare to begin conference play."
