Oklahoma State’s Aidan Meola (player), UCF’s Matt Sauser (pitcher) and Texas Tech’s Linkin Garcia (newcomer) garnered the Big 12 baseball weekly awards for the second week of the season.
Meola powered the Cowboys to a series victory at Grand Canyon, hitting .421 (8-for-19) with four home runs, a double and 12 RBI while posting a 1.105 slugging percentage. The senior third baseman homered in all four games of the series, including a grand slam in the series-clinching finale, marking the second-most homers in the Big 12 this week. He recorded a career-tying five RBI in the Cowboys’ 13-2 run-rule win to give him multiple hits in three of the four games against the Lopes.
Sauser retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced and did not allow a run, holding then-No. 23 Miami (Fla.) without a hit in his first start of the season. The junior right-hander tossed 6.0 hitless innings, allowing just one baserunner via walk while striking out six as he faced the minimum batters in five of his six innings. He finished the week with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.17 WHIP.
Garcia helped the Red Raiders to an undefeated 5-0 week as he hit .429 (9-for-21) with three home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs. The freshman infielder tallied at least one extra-base hit and one run in every game he played and drove in a run in four of Texas Tech’s five games. He began the week with two homers against UT Rio Grande Valley and one in the series opener against Albany to help finish the week with a slugging percentage of 1.048. Garcia also added four walks and recorded a perfect fielding percentage for the week.
Big 12 Players of the Week
Player:
Feb. 23: Aidan Meola, Oklahoma State, 3B, Sr.
Pitcher:
Feb. 23: Matt Sauser, UCF, RHP, Jr.
Newcomer:
Feb. 23: Linkin Garcia, Texas Tech, INF, Fr.