Colonel Chosen As Big 12 Player Of The Week
May 13, 2003 | Baseball
May 13, 2003
DALLAS, Texas - Texas Tech junior 1B Christian Colonel of American Falls, Idaho, and Texas A&M pitchers Brian Finch of Brazoria, Texas, and Robert Ray of Lufkin, Texas, have been named as Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Week and Co-Pitchers of the Week, respectively, in voting by a select panel of media covering Big 12 baseball for games played from May 6-12.
Colonel helped lead Texas Tech to a three-game sweep of the Wofford Terriers of the Southern Conference as he hit a commanding .813 at the plate and went errorless defensively. His .813 average was the highest for one week of any Big 12 standout with a minimum of 10 times at-bat this season. He also picked up five hits in back-to-back nights and finished the weekend with eight singles, four doubles and one home run along with 10 RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.250. Colonel was 5-for-6 with five RBI last Thursday, 5-for-6 with three RBI in Game 2, and 3-for-4 with two RBI in the series finale last Saturday. He walked once and reached base 14 times in 17 trips to the batter's box.
Finch, a true freshman, and the junior Ray played critical relief roles in pacing the Aggies to a sweep of Kansas in College Station. Finch relieved Kyle Parcus in the Friday game with one out in the sixth with the score tied 3-3. He did not allow a hit in the final 4 2/3 frames of the 10-inning game while striking out seven, walking three and improving to 4-1 overall. Ray came on in relief of Zach Dixon with no outs in the fifth of a 5-4 win last Sunday in 10 innings and lasted five innings, allowed three hits and struck out a career-high nine hitters. Ray later surrendered a leadoff hit in the 10th and gave way to All-America candidate Scott Beerer, who struck out three Kansas hitters to end the inning.
Phillips 66 Players and Pitchers of the Week for the 2003 season include: Feb. 11-1B-DH Ryan Baty, Kansas; P Scott Baker, Oklahoma State; Feb. 18-3B Travis Metcalf, Kansas; P Logan Kensing, Texas A&M; Feb. 25-OF Chris Durbin, Baylor; P Kevin Wheeler, Kansas; Mar. 4-1B-OF Ross Bennett, Baylor; P Brian Duensing, Nebraska; Mar. 11-3B Jay Yaconetti, Oklahoma; P Ryan Knippschild, Kansas; Mar. 18-OF Dustin Majewski, Texas; P Matt Farnum, Texas A&M; Mar. 25-C Jason Jaramillo, Oklahoma State; P Jeff Karstens, Texas Tech. Apr. 1-3B Zane Taylor, Missouri; (co) P Zach Kroenke, Aaron Marsden, Nebraska. Apr. 8-(co) OF Jose Virgil, Oklahoma State; 2B Tim Moss, Texas; P Scott Baker, Oklahoma State; Apr. 15-OF Justin Ruggiano, Texas A&M; P Brandon Johnson, Kansas; Apr. 22-3B Zack Saunders, Kansas State; P Aaron Marsden, Nebraska; Apr. 29-(co) OF Chris Durbin, Baylor; 1B-OF Curtis Ledbetter, Nebraska; P Kyle Parcus, Texas A&M; May 6-(co) 2B Eddie Cornejo, Oklahoma; 1B John Urick, Oklahoma State; P Huston Street, Texas; May 13-1B Christian Colonel, Texas Tech; (co-pitchers) Brian Finch, Robert Ray, Texas A&M.