By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech outfielder Ryan Guardino was recognized as the co-Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career as announced by the league on Monday, sharing the honor with Southeast Missouri's Andrew Keck.
One week after earning a pair of National Player of the Week nods from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association behind seven home runs and 11 RBI over a three-game series at UT Martin, the right fielder stayed red hot at the dish to collect his first weekly accolades from the OVC.
Guardino continued his torrid stretch at the plate, smashing three more home runs, driving in nine, and scoring six while batting .571 and slugging 1.286 over four games. At Lipscomb, the slugger finished 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
After a 1-for-3 showing in the first contest against Eastern Illinois Friday evening, he went off in the Saturday doubleheader, finishing 5-for-9. The junior tallied three hits, three runs, a double, and a home run while driving in six in the first game.
He followed it up with two bombs and three more RBI in the second contest. It marked his sixth game with multiple home runs on the year (a single-season program record), tying him for the second-most such performances in a career in school history. He now trails just former Golden Eagle great Kevin Strohschein's eight.
Tech will return to action with a three-game road series at OVC foe SIUE this weekend, starting with a Friday tilt at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Photo by Emily Armstrong