Softball's Thom repeats as Big 12 Conference Player of the Week
Feb. 26, 2013
IRVING, Texas - Junior shortstop Taylor Thom earned a repeat selection as the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, according to an announcement Tuesday by league officials. Thom hit over .500 for the second-straight week and tied an NCAA single-game record for the second time in as many weeks by hitting three doubles against Utah State on Saturday morning. The honor is the second of Thom’s career and she became the first Longhorn to be named the league’s player of the week in consecutive weeks. She is the first player in the Big 12 to pick up the conference honor in back-to-back weeks since Oklahoma State’s Heather Scaglione on April 27 and May 4, 2004. During the five games of the Texas Invitational presented by Time Warner Cable, Thom hit .588 (10-for-17) and led Texas with eight runs batted in, 17 total bases, a 1.000 slugging percentage and four doubles. The Cedar Park, Texas, product provided Texas’ first run in Friday’s game against No. 24/24 Tulsa with a solo home run in the fourth inning. At that point, it was her fifth home run in her last 15 at-bats. Saturday versus Utah State, she drove in the game-winning run with her first double of the contest and finished four-for-four with four runs batted in and three scored. The three doubles tied the Texas and NCAA single-game records. She drove in the game-winning run in the Texas Invitational semifinals with a first-inning two-out single against Lamar. Entering this week’s action, Thom leads the Big 12 with 23 runs batted in and is tied for the top spot in doubles with eight. She also ranks second in the league in hits (23), total bases (46) and slugging percentage (.902), third in home runs (eight) and fourth in runs scored (16). Also receiving honors from the Big 12 Conference this week was Oklahoma senior Keilani Ricketts, who was tabbed as the league’s pitcher of the week.
Thom and the No. 5/8 Longhorns (16-1) return to action Friday with two games in Kissimmee, Fla., as part of the Citrus Classic. Texas takes on No. 15/16 Louisville at 10 a.m. CT and Hofstra at 12:15 p.m. CT. |
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