Hackenbracht Named Big Ten Player of the Week
4/6/2021 4:02:00 PM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sam Hackenbracht has been chosen as the Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
A sophomore catcher/utility from Massillon, Ohio, Hackenbracht put up eye-popping numbers in the two games that she played last weekend at Penn State. In a 9-3 win over the Nittany Lions in the second game of a doubleheader, Hackenbracht went 4-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI. A day later, on Sunday, she followed that up with a 1-for-2 showing with another home run as the Buckeyes won 9-0 in five innings.
For the weekend, Hackenbracht batted .833 with three home runs, eight RBI, a 2.333 slugging percentage and a .857 on-base percentage. She reached base safely in six of her seven plate appearances. Her four hits in the second game on Saturday’s doubleheader are the most in a game since Lilli Piper went 4-for-4 vs. Michigan State on April 21, 2019.
For the season, Hackenbracht is batting .333 with 12 RBI, four home runs, five doubles and a .711 slugging percentage. Over the last 10 games – in which the Buckeyes are 7-3 with series wins over Maryland and Penn State – she’s hitting .480 with 12 RBI, a .519 on-base percentage and 1.080 slugging percentage. She and Niki Carver are tied for the team lead with four multi-RBI games thus far. Behind the plate, she’s thrown out seven base runners attempting to steal, the second-most in the Big Ten.
Hackenbracht and the rest of the Buckeyes (12-7) return to action on Friday, April 9 when they open a four-game series against Michigan (13-3) at Buckeye Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
