April 20, 2009

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga University junior catcher Tyson Van Winkle has been named the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Player of the Week for the second time this season the conference announced Monday.

Van Winkle earns his second WCC weekly accolade of his career after producing one of the best weeks at the plate in the country last week. In four games last week, the Vancouver, Wash. native went 13-for-18 (.722) with nine RBI, scored seven runs, hit six doubles, one home run, had a 1.222 slugging percentage and a .714 on-base percentage. He recorded at least two hits in each of the Bulldogs four games last week beginning with a career-best 5-for-5 six RBI performance in the win over Washington State. He followed that with a 4-for-5 game at Portland on Friday and recorded two hits in each of the next two games on Saturday and Sunday at Portland. Van Winkle recorded hits in eight straight at-bats at one point and upped his batting average 43 points to a team best .387 during the week.

Van Winkle has caught every game this season and currently leads the Bulldogs in hitting, hits (60), doubles (20), RBI (41), slugging (.560) and on-base percentage (.448). The 2008 39th round draft pick of the Houston Astros also enters the week leading the WCC in doubles, is third in batting average and hits and fourth in RBI.

Van Winkle earned his first career WCC Player of the Week award back on Feb. 23, the first weekly accolade of the 2009 season. The Zags have taken home five WCC Player or Pitcher of the Week awards this season including one in each of the past three weeks.