Sophomore designated hitter
Mike Saunches was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after slugging the Illinois State baseball team to a 4-1 record last week.
Saunches, a native of Decatur, Ill., enjoyed a tremendous week at the plate for the Redbirds (11-12, 3-5) who played their first games in the friendly confines of Redbird Field last week after 24-straight games on the road.
The sweet swinging lefty hit .524 (11-for-21) for the week with two homers, three doubles, eight runs scored, 12 RBI and one stolen base. He also posted a .952 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage and had a hand (eight runs and 12 RBI) in 18 of ISUs 49 runs on the week.
Although Saunches had a breakout week offensively, he takes the honor in stride.
Ive been hitting the ball hard all season long and I knew it was just a matter of time before those singles up the middle started to get some elevation on them, Saunches said. Last week, I was zoned in and was really driving the ball well, I got some good pitches to hit and I took advantage of every opportunity.
The guys around me in the lineup were hitting the ball well last week and that makes everyone better, Saunches said. Im not the only guy in our lineup who was able to produce against Creighton, hitting is contagious and everyone was able to get into the act.
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound slugger began his romp casually with a single in four at bats in a 1-0 victory over Eastern Illinois in the Birds home season-opener on Tuesday. That victory snapped ISUs five-game losing streak and handed the Redbirds their seventh consecutive victory over the Panthers.
Creighton was able to hold Saunches to a single, an RBI and a run scored in Fridays conference home-opener, however, the rest of the Birds had a field day at the plate en route to an easy 10-4 victory.
In Saturdays doubleheader, Saunches made his presence felt with a 6-for-10 day at the plate, including a double, a homer, six RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base as the Birds and Jays each claimed a victory.
Sundays series finale can be summed up in one word ... Saunches. In four trips to the plate, the hard-hitting sophomore doubled twice, and sent a towering homer over the pine trees in center field, while driving in five runs and scoring three more.
Although he is only a sophomore, Saunches relishes his role as a run producer in the middle of the Redbirds high-octane lineup.
As the designated hitter, my only job is to hit the ball hard and produce runs, Saunches said. At the beginning of the year I set a goal for myself and that was to lead the team in batting average, RBI and homers. Although thats a pretty lofty goal considering the talent weve got on this team, Ive always had confidence in myself.
While Saunches has set his sights set on leading the Redbirds offensively, hes not far from leading The Valley in many statistical categories as well. Saunches currently ranks third in the league with a .389 batting average, behind only his teammate
Jared Dufault at .395 and Northern Iowas Willie Durazo at .396.
Saunches also ranks third in the league with 32 runs batted in, trailing UNIs Ryan Brunner and Aaron McEachron by five RBI even though they both have played in four more games than him.
Saunches and the rest of the Illinois State baseball team return to action at 7 p.m. on Friday when the Redbirds host Southwest Missouri State in a four-game conference series at Redbird Field.
