DALLAS – IUP first baseman
Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys) has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II National Hitter of the Week, as it was announced on Wednesday afternoon.
This is Uhl's third player of the week award in as many days, also earning Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week honors on Tuesday and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Co-Hitter of the Week on Monday.
It's the senior's first career National Hitter of the Week honors after hitting an impressive .556 in six games last week, going 10-for-18 with seven home runs, 18 runs batted in, and a 1.722 slugging percentage. He also forced 11 walks, including two intentional walks in one game.
Five of Uhl's homers came in the four-game series against Pitt-Johnstown, including four in Sunday's doubleheader. His first home run of the game was a solo shot that tied the game at 3-3 with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Crimson Hawks would eventually go on to win that ballgame 4-3 in nine innings.
He then blasted three home runs in the second game of the twinbill, including a pair of three-run shots in the first inning, helping IUP to an early 10-0 lead. He walked in the third inning and hit a solo round tripper in the fifth inning.
Uhl was intentionally walked in his remaining two at-bats in game two, including with one out and bases loaded in the sixth inning, forcing a run home and giving IUP a 15-12 lead heading to the seventh.
Uhl's record-setting season is continuing as he has extended his IUP season and career home run records to 19 and 32, respectively. He not only leads the Crimson Hawks in home runs, but also with a .383 batting average, 50 runs batted in, a .972 slugging percentage .507 on-base percentage, and 36 runs scored.
IUP has a pair of NCBWA National Players of the Week in 2013 in
Dylan Tice (Perkasie/Pennridge) (hitter) and Stephen Cooke (pitcher).
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.
