Feb. 26, 2003
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University first baseman Will Thompson was named the Rawlings/WCC Player of the Week Tuesday afternoon following a huge offensive surge last weekend at UC Santa Barbara.
The sophomore from Missoula, Mont., saw his first action in a Bronco uniform as a pinch hitter in Friday's series opener but it was on Saturday and Sunday that he opened some eyes with his offensive output.
In Saturday's 9-6 win over the Gauchos Thompson went 4-for-4 at the plate with a grand slam, a triple, two doubles, three runs scored and six RBI. His grand slam came on the first pitch he saw in the first inning, taking a fastball to the opposite field, clearing the bases and helping the Broncos jump out to an early 7-0 lead after one half inning of play.
His next two at bats on Saturday were both RBI doubles, moving his runs batted in total to six. He ended the day with a triple to right center field that was a screaming line drive that split the outfielders perfectly in the gap.
Sunday was more of the same just on a different day. Thompson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a pair of singles during the 5-4 loss in 10 innings.
He finished the weekend with a .778 (7-for-9) average, two home runs, two doubles, one triple, four runs scored and seven RBI. He also tallied a .833 on base percentage and a 1.889 slugging percentage in the three games.
The Player of the Week award is the first of its kind for Thompson who transferred to Santa Clara following one season at the University of Arizona.