NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL TOURNAMENT STILLWATER (OKLA.) REGIONAL

Big year gets Hog big honor

Benintendi named nation’s top player

Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi answers a questions during a news conference Thursday, May 28, 2015, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi won his first national award of the postseason Thursday when Collegiate Baseball named him its national player of the year.

The national award comes on the heels of Benintendi being named the SEC player of the year last week after he led the league with a .415 batting average and 17 home runs in the regular season.

"This is another great award that he deserves," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said Thursday as the Razorbacks prepared for today's opening game against Oral Roberts at the NCAA regional tournament in Stillwater, Okla.

Benintendi took the same low-key approach regarding the award that he's taken the entire season.

"Yeah, it's an honor," Benintendi said. "When it comes down to it, it's just an award. We're just going to try to win baseball games and play our best."

Benintendi became the first Arkansas player to earn a national player of the year honor. He is also the first Razorback to be named SEC Player of the Year.

Benintendi ranks third in the nation with 18 home runs and is one of only two players in the NCAA with at least 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. The left-handed slugger had a stretch of eight home runs in 12 games that corresponded with Arkansas' surge in the SEC West.

"The last 20 games we just watched him in awe," Van Horn said earlier in the season.

The sophomore from Cincinnati is trying to put a 1-for-14 performance in four games at the SEC Tournament behind him in the NCAA regionals.

Asked if it is difficult to put personal accolades behind him and concentrate on the games, Benintendi said it was earlier in the season.

"Now I don't really think about it," he said. "We're just focusing on winning baseball games."

Benintendi takes team highs of a .391 average, 18 home runs and 52 RBI into today's game against Oral Roberts. His .738 slugging percentage is the highest of any player in the NCAA Tournament, and his .391 batting average ranks second.

Oral Roberts Coach Ryan Folmar said Benintendi's season stats pop out at him much more than his 1-for-14 showing with one home run last weekend.

"I'm going to throw that out the window because you look at his body of work throughout the year, and last weekend isn't indicative of how he plays," Folmar said. "I'm not going to look at the SEC Tournament and think any less of him at all.

"I think he's an outstanding player. Obviously he's put up the numbers in a very good league to back it up. We understand this guy really makes them go."

Sports on 05/29/2015