University of Houston Athletics
Weston Named National, C-USA Hitter of the Week
4/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 10, 2006
HOUSTON - University of Houston senior outfielder Matt Weston was named both Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball magazine and Conference USA Hitter of the Week on Monday.
Weston, a native of Chino Hills, Calif., helped lead the Cougars to a 3-1 record last week, including a series win over league rival and 18th-ranked Tulane.
He finished the week batting .462 (6-for-13) with four home runs, seven RBIs, six runs and a dazzling 1.462 slugging percentage. Weston had entered last week with zero home runs during the 2006 season.
His first home run of the week in the eighth inning against McNeese State on April 4 gave the Cougars a much-needed insurance run on the way to a 12-8 win against the Cowboys.
Weston blasted a pair of home runs in the Cougars' 8-4 win over Tulane in the series opener on Friday, becoming the first player since Kevin Roberts in May 2005 to hit two homers in one game.
In the Tulane series finale, Weston smashed a two-run homer off the flagpole in right center to ice the Cougars' 6-2 win over the Green Wave.
With his impressive numbers, he raised his batting average nearly 50 points to its current .261 mark and increased his slugging percentage more than 170 points to .478.
He became the Cougars' first Hitter of the Week award winner in 2006 and the first since teammate Brad Lincoln collected the Pro-Line Cap National Player of the Week honor on May 10, 2005.
UCF's Tim Bascom was honored Monday as the C-USA Pitcher of the Week.
Weston and his Cougar teammates return to action at 7 p.m., Tuesday when they meet McNeese State. This will be the second meeting between these two teams in an eight-day stretch after the Cougars enjoyed a 12-8 win on April 4 at Cougar Field.
The game can be heard live over the Internet at www.UHCougars.com with Nick Torina and Pat Cauley calling all the action. Fans also can follow live stats by clicking on the "Gametracker" link at www.UHCougars.com.
