Junior baseball player Bryan McDavitt (right) and sophomore softball player Danielle Lopez were rewarded for standout weeks with NESCAC Player of the Week awards on Monday.
McDavitt, Tufts' starting first baseman and cleanup hitter, pounded out 10 hits and five RBI while hitting .625 in the Jumbos' four wins last week. McDavitt went 8-for-13 during the team's three-game road sweep of Bates on Friday and Saturday. He delivered his best game in Saturday's opener, where he went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two doubles.
Hitting out of the number four spot, McDavitt leads Tufts in nearly every offensive category with a .518 batting average, 29 hits, 36 total bases, 16 RBI and seven doubles. He also drew a team-high 14 walks for a .606 on-base percentage.
Lopez earned her nod with a seven hit, five RBI showing that sparked the Jumbo offense during five straight wins. The 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year has started strong in 2006, leading the Jumbos in home runs (four), total bases (38), RBI (17), runs (19), and slugging percentage (.679). Her .393 batting average is third-best on the team.
After spending her rookie season in the leadoff position, where she had a team-high .379 batting average and .410 on-base percentage, Lopez dropped to the third slot this season, following the team's speedy leadoff hitters and starting the powerful middle of the Tufts lineup.
At second base, Lopez has anchored an infield that includes six regulars, where she has started all 52 games of her career. She was perfect in her 20 chances this week and has a .942 fielding percentage and six double plays so far this season.
Both McDavitt and Lopez will defend their awards and their hot streaks in busy weeks. The baseball team plays today at Bentley before heading to Brunswick, Maine for a three-game weekend stint at Bowdoin. The softball team suits up for a Thursday game against Bridgewater State, a Saturday doubleheader against Bowdoin, and two Sunday games at Wheaton, where the Jumbos will face the home Lyons and Western Connecticut.
