OMAHA, Neb. — Even in a loss, Andrew Benintendi proved his worth to Arkansas on Saturday.
The sophomore hit a home run, had 2 RBIs, stole a base and made a diving catch from his position in center field to save a run against Virginia. It was the type of all-around effort that led him to win the Dick Howser Trophy, which he was presented with before the game.
"It's been extremely gratifying for me to watch him develop both as a player and a person over the last couple of years," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said.
With his solo home run in the fifth inning, Benintendi became the first player since 2009 to record at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. He is the first to accomplish the feat since BBCOR bats were introduced to the game five seasons ago.
Benintendi has an NCAA-leading 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases this season. He is batting .381 and has 57 RBIs.
He was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the seventh overall pick of the MLB Draft on Monday. The Razorbacks' games in Omaha are expected to be his last with the team.
"It's been fun to watch his teammates rally around him with all the success he's had," Van Horn said. "They all pull for him.
"Andrew's been very humble and just shows up every day, and works hard."