March 26, 2012
IRVING, Texas - Baylor's Max Muncy has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. This marks the third time in the last five weeks a Baylor player has been named Player of the Week.
Muncy earned the award for the second time in his career after leading the Bears to a 4-0 record during the week, including a three-game sweep of Kansas in Big 12 play. Muncy's previous honor came on May 16, 2011.
Muncy, a junior from Keller, Texas, hit .500 (9-for-18) with two home runs, two doubles, nine RBI and seven runs scored during the week. He also walked twice, struck out only one time and had 17 total bases for a .944 slugging percentage.
With a home run in the third inning of Saturday's win over Kansas, Muncy snapped Baylor's streak of 15 consecutive games and 499 at-bats without a home run. He also homered in the sixth inning of that game, giving him the Bears' first five-RBI game of the season.
In Sunday's series finale against the Jayhawks, Muncy stepped to the plate with the game tied 6-6, two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Kansas' travel curfew looming, Muncy avoided a tie by belting a game-winning two-run double down the right-field line, and the game was called just one pitch later.
Muncy's game-winning double was hit fourth hit of the game, marking the third time he's had a four-hit game in his three-year career. His multi-home run game on Saturday was also the third of his career.
Muncy also had a single and two runs scored in the series opener against Kansas. He helped the Bears to a 6-0 start in Big 12 play - their best start in the league's 16-year history - and back-to-back Big 12 series sweeps for the first time since April 2005.
In Wednesday's win at Sam Houston State, Muncy singled, doubled, drove in two runs, walked and scored a run. He's currently riding a six-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 15 consecutive Big 12 games dating back to the last nine conference games of 2011.
Muncy ranks in the Big 12's top 10 in hits (t-5th, 32), home runs (t-6th, 4), triples (t-6th, 2), RBI (5th, 23), total bases (3rd, 53), walks (t-9th, 16) and slugging percentage (.564). He has started at first base in 107 consecutive games and 143 of 144 team games since arriving on campus.
With the addition of Logan Vick's Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 and March 19, Baylor has had three players earn the award this season. Combined with four Player of the Week honors last season, the Bears have seven awards in the last two seasons, tying 2003-04 for the most in a two-year span in program history.
Baylor returns to action when it travels to Houston to take on the University of Houston at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cougar Field. Following the lone midweek game against the Cougars, the Bears return home for a three-game Big 12 series against Oklahoma State starting at 6:35 p.m. Friday.
BAYLOR'S BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (2011-12)
Max Muncy, 3/26/12
Logan Vick, 3/19/12
Logan Vick, 2/27/12
Jake Miller, 5/23/11
Max Muncy, 5/16/11
Chris Slater, 3/14/11
Landis Ware, 3/7/11
