Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

April 18, 2006

BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Pat McMahon, Northwestern

SR, 1B, Mundelein, Ill./Carmel

McMahon batted .600 (12-for-20) in five games last week, helping NU to a 3-2 overall record and 3-1 in Big Ten games.  He totaled 23 bases, had a slugging percentage of 1.150 and an on-base percentage of .680.  In the Wildcats' midweek contest against Robert Morris, McMahon was 2-for-2 with an RBI, walked twice and was hit by a pitch. In four games at Illinois, he was 10-for-18 with eight RBI and seven runs scored. In game one of the series against the Illini, McMahon became the third Wildcat since 1993 to hit for the cycle.  In a game NU won 19-18, McMahon tallied six RBI, scored five runs and hit two home runs. In game one of Saturday's doubleheader, a 7-3 win for the Wildcats, McMahon was 1-for-3, scored a run and doubled home an RBI.  In the second game of the twinbill, McMahon was 3-for-6 with a run scored and another RBI.  He hit his third double of the series as the Wildcats won 7-6 in 12 innings and finished 1-for-3 in the series finale.

Neal Gorka, Purdue

SR, RF, Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph

Gorka batted .474 for the week, including .600 (9-for-15) during Purdue's Big Ten series with Indiana, snapping out of a 6-for-40 slump with two doubles and three home runs against the Hoosiers.  The senior hit a grand slam on Friday, accounting for all of Purdue's runs in the game, while in Purdue's 5-2 win on Saturday, he recorded a two-run double in the first inning and drove in the winning run in a 5-2 win.  In Sunday's 25-8 victory, Gorka hit a three-run homer in the first inning and then bettered the effort with a grand slam in the second inning. The senior drove in eight runs in the game, which marked the second-best individual effort by a Boilermaker in the last 15 years. Against the Hoosiers, Gorka scored five runs, drove in 14, and had a slugging percentage of 1.333.

BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Paul Hammond, Michigan

SR, LHP, Mason, Ohio/Mason

Hammond pitched a seven-inning complete game in a 7-1 win over Ohio State in the second game of the series.  The Wolverine senior tossed a five-hitter with five strikeouts to improve to 2-3 on the season and record his team-leading second complete game.  The victory over the Buckeyes marked his 11th career win and second over OSU.  His five strikeouts against Ohio State moved his season total to a team-leading 33 in 34.2 innings of work.  Hammond has allowed just one earned run in his last 17 innings (0.53) in Big Ten play after giving up three earned runs to Northwestern in the first inning of his first conference start this season.  

Big Ten Baseball

Printer-friendly format	Email this article