Newly acquired outfielder, Rick Cornu, was named as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
The Utes went 3-1 in Bakersfield, Calif., with a lot of help from Cornu. He was stellar from the plate, batting .444 (8-for-18), with three home runs, 12 RBIs and six runs scored.
Cornu is the team leader at the plate with a .389 batting average. In Utah’s first game of the weekend, Cornu went 3-for-4 from the plate with a three-run homer and five RBIs, helping the Utes win 12-1.
In their 10-8 loss, his two hits in four at-bats were home runs. Cornu finished the game with four RBIs and two runs scored.
In the third game, Cornu drew a walk that would bring home the game-winning run. In the 10-8 win, he went 3-for-5 from the plate with an RBI double and two more runs scored.
The San Joaquin Delta College transfer is leading the team in RBIs (15), runs (nine), slugging percentage (.772) and total bases (26) in eight starts.
Cornu also leads the league in several categories, including RBIs, home runs and total bases (26). He is also tied for ninth in the MWC in runs scored and is No. 13 in the conference in batting average.
Prior to the U, Cornu was a second-team All-Big 8 Conference selection. In 41 games he hit .372 at the plate, had 29 RBIs and led the team in steals with 16. Not only did he perform well on the offensive side of the ball, but he also finished the season with a .976 fielding percentage.