Cosentino named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference named Kansas freshman second baseman James Cosentino the league’s co-Newcomer of the Week Monday afternoon, for his performance last week against Wichita State (April 11) and Oklahoma State (April 13-15).
“I am happy for James,” head coach Ritch Price said. “He had a huge week for us last week, and it has been a lot of fun watching his development over the course of the season.”
Cosentino helped Kansas to a 3-1 record last week with tremendous presence at the plate. He posted a .417 batting average in four starts that included two doubles, three runs, three RBIs, four walks, a .583 slugging and a .579 on-base percentage.
Against Oklahoma State, Cosentino made 15 trips to the plate, and reached base safely in 10 of them (five hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches) while recording a team-high two doubles, .667 on-base percentage and .778 slugging percentage, respectively. In addition, his .556 (5-for-9) average against the Cowboys was .192 points higher than the next Jayhawk, freshman right fielder Brett Vosik, who batted .364.
“Over the course of the season, James has developed into a legitimate impact player in the Big 12 Conference,” Price said. “He is a great athlete that can hit velocity, and that is what makes him so good in the conference. These last few weeks he has changed his entire approach at the plate to be more disciplined and lay off the off-speed pitch, while using the entire field.”
Cosentino has started all 12 league games Kansas has played, and leads the team with a .390 (16-for-41) average in those contests with three doubles, four RBIs, five runs, and a team best in slugging percentage (.463) and on-base percentage (.458). On the season, he holds the second-best batting average on the team (.270) and has raised it .063 points throughout the month of April.
This is Cosentino’s first weekly honor from the league and the first for Kansas since Ben Krauth was named Pitcher of the Week on March 14, 2016.
Cosentino and the Jayhawks are back on the diamond, Wednesday, April 19, as they travel to in-state rival Wichita State. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN3.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
