April 13, 2009
IRVING, Texas - Baylor junior first baseman Dustin Dickerson was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Dickerson is the third Baylor player so honored this season, joining Aaron Miller (March 9) and Shaver Hansen (last week). Texas Tech right-hander Chad Bettis was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.
Dickerson earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. He did so after going 12-for-20 in five games last week with four multiple-hit outings. He hit safely in each game, extending his career-long hitting streak to 19 games. That ranks as the longest hitting streak in the Big 12 this season and ties for the seventh-longest in Baylor history. Dickerson also has hit safely in 14 consecutive Big 12 games and in 20 of 21 league contests dating back to last season.
A product of Waco's Midway High School, Dickerson had three doubles, a home run, three RBI and eight runs scored on the week. His biggest hit was a bases-loaded, walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Missouri. Dickerson followed that with a 4-for-4 outing in the nightcap; he had a double, a homer and four runs scored in that game. He was 8-for-13 in the Missouri series.
Dickerson's game-winning hit against Missouri was his second walk-off hit of the season. He also had a game-winning, two-run single in the top of the ninth last weekend at Kansas. The McGregor, Texas, native leads the Bears and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with a .379 batting average. Dickerson has not seen his batting average drop below .339 since his fourth at bat of the season.
Dickerson is the 17th Baylor player so honored in the league's 13-year history, joining Mike Huggins (three times), Jon Topolski (twice), Charley Carter (twice), Chris Durbin (twice), Josh Ford (twice), Jaime Bubela, Matt Williams, Ross Bennett, Tim Hartshorn, Michael Griffin, Paul Witt, Chase Gerdes, Beamer Weems, Ben Booker, Miller and Hansen.
Baylor returns to action Tuesday, traveling to Arlington, Texas, for a 6:30 p.m. CDT first pitch at UT Arlington. The Mavericks return the visit Wednesday night, facing the Bears at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark. Baylor travels to Oklahoma State for a three-game Big 12 Conference series this weekend.
