Hackenbracht Named Big Ten Player of the Week
4/27/2021 4:30:43 PM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second time in four weeks, Ohio State catcher Sam Hackenbracht is the Big Ten’s Player of the Week.
Hackenbracht earned the award after a remarkable weekend at the plate in a four-game series versus Rutgers. She batted .778 with three home runs, five RBI and nine runs scored. Perhaps most impressively, Hackenbracht finished the weekend with a .867 on-base percentage after reaching base in 13 of her 15 plate appearances. After hitting three home runs in her first eight at-bats of the series, Hackenbracht was intentionally walked five times over the final two games. In all, she collected seven hits in nine at-bats and walked six times.
A sophomore from Massillon, Ohio, Hackenbracht is batting .342 for the season – ninth-best in the conference – with a league-leading 10 home runs and 21 RBI. She also leads the league in slugging percentage (.803). Behind the plate, Hackenbracht is tied for the league lead with nine runners caught stealing.
Over the last 10 games, Hackenbracht is batting .370 with five home runs, a .926 slugging percentage and 12 runs scored. Included in that span is a two-home run game against Indiana and her three long balls last weekend. Hackenbract previously was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on April 6 following a weekend in which she hit .833 with eight RBI and three home runs versus Penn State.
Hackenbracht and the Buckeyes will be back in action this weekend, Friday-Sunday, with a four-game series at Purdue. Action gets underway with a single game on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. and continues Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. All four games can be seen live on BTN Plus.
