Junior third baseman Samantha Kuhles was named the NESCAC Player of the Week yesterday following a strong season-opening performance at the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif. over spring break.
Kuhles is picking up right where she left off last year, when she led the team with a career-high .407 batting average. In 38 plate appearances so far this season, the Somerville, N.J. native has racked up a .474 average to go along with 13 RBI and a team-leading 24 total bases.
Last season, Kuhles was one of a conference-high four Jumbos to earn a First Team All-NESCAC selection after pacing the conference with 61 hits, 42 runs scored and 43 RBI. She earned the same honor following her freshman season.
Tufts' offense was humming over much of the break, posting a team batting average of .375 and scoring 106 runs through 12 games. The defending conference champion Jumbos went 7-5 in California, with five of the team's seven victories coming via eight-run rule blowouts. Among the more impressive wins was a 12-4 shellacking of nationally-ranked No. 4 St. Thomas on March 18.
Tufts will host Bowdoin this weekend for a three-game series that will open the NESCAC East portion of its schedule.
