Taylor Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference named freshman designated hitter Owen Taylor the league’s Newcomer of the Week Monday afternoon, for his performance in four games spanning May 5-9 at Northwestern and at No. 3 TCU.
“This is a great accomplishment for Taylor,” head coach Ritch Price said. “It has been real exciting to watch the development of Taylor throughout the course of the seen. He continues to work hard and grind, and I truly believe he will be an outstanding Division I baseball player before the end of his career.”
Taylor emerged in Week 13 of the regular season to help Kansas to a 2-2 mark on a weeklong four-game road trip that included two games at Northwestern and two games at Big 12 foe No. 3 TCU. During that span, Taylor ranked second in the conference in RBIs (4) and total bases (8) only to teammate and fellow classmate TJ Martin. Taylor batted .455 (5-for-11) with two walks, two runs, a home run and four RBIs in the four games that he played.
His three-run bomb at Northwestern (May 5) capped off a four-run inning and proved to be the difference maker in a game where the Jayhawks won 6-2. Those three RBIs were a career high while the home run was the second of his career and second in as many games played for the rookie hitter.
“Taylor is a switch hitter and has tremendous power from both sides of the plate,” Price said. “What people don’t know about him is that he is also an outstanding corner infielder with a plus-arm. He is going to be a special player here before he is done.”
Taylor has seen action in 26 games in his rookie campaign, making 11 starts. He is batting .333 (18-for-54) with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored and has drawn seven walks. He holds a .519 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage in the limited action he has seen.
In addition, Taylor is the third Jayhawk to earn a weekly recognition by the league’s office this season, joining junior lefty Ben Krauth (April 27) and freshman shortstop Matt McLaughlin (April 6).
The Kansas baseball team wraps up regular-season play at home inside Hoglund Ballpark, as it plays host to Kansas State for the annual Sunflower Showdown, May 15-17. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on the Jayhawk Television Network and ESPN3 outside the state of Kansas.
2015 Kansas Big 12 Players of the Week
- April 6 – Matt McLaughlin (Newcomer of the Week)
- April 27 – Ben Krauth (Newcomer of the Week)
- May 11 – Owen Taylor (Newcomer of the Week)
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