St. Louis ? Senior infielder Jason Newburger (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) has been named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the week ending April 2nd in an announcement by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Newburger entered the Braves' weekend series with Southern Illinois batting .226 with eight runs in 18 games. Against the Salukis, he hit 8-for-11 with two home runs, two doubles, eight runs batted in, seven runs scored and swiped his first base of the season.
Newburger raised his average nearly 100 points over the weekend by hitting a smoldering .727 in the three-game series to cap off a .471 week.
His seventh-inning grand slam against SIU on Friday night put the Braves ahead for good in BU's win and broke a 1-1 tie. On Sunday, Newburger's fifth-inning double forged a 2-2 tie and he later scored the go-ahead run during the three-run inning that gave BU the lead for good.
Newburger is the second Brave to be honored with an MVC Player of the Week award, joining freshman right-hander Collin Brennan (3/27).
The Braves have a busy home week on the diamond, beginning Tuesday when they take on the Peoria Chiefs (Class A ? Chicago Cubs) in a 6 p.m. scrimmage at O'Brien Field. Wednesday the Braves will host Illinois-Chicago in a single game at 3 p.m. to be followed by a single contest against St. Louis University ? a game originally snowed out. Indiana State visits O'Brien Field on Friday for the first of a three-game MVC series.
