FAYETTEVILLE — Jared Wegner’s first weekend as an SEC baseball player was a good one.
It was so good the Arkansas left fielder was named the conference’s player of the week Monday.
Wegner, the transfer from Creighton, went 6 for 11 with 2 home runs, 1 triple, 1 double and 8 RBI during the Razorbacks’ games against Texas, TCU and Oklahoma State at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas. Wegner also walked twice and was hit by a pitch.
The Kearney, Neb., native exited the weekend batting .545 and with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 2.007.
“It was pretty good,” Wegner said Sunday when asked about his performance. “It was a fun weekend.”
Wegner batted fifth during their first two games, then moved to third for Sunday’s 18-1 victory over Oklahoma State. He tripled with the bases loaded to score three runs in the second inning, and hit a 365-foot home run to left field to score two runs in the third. Both of Wegner’s extra-base hits against the Cowboys came with two outs.
“I think it comes down to just swinging at good pitches — pitches that you can drive,” Wegner said. “I think I played with discipline really well, so when it was there I was able to either foul it off or get my swing off.”
Wegner also hit a 442-foot home run to left-center field that scored three runs during Arkansas’ 18-6 loss to TCU on Saturday. He scored four runs during the weekend.
Wegner batted .348, hit 14 home runs and had 53 RBI last season at Creighton, where he was named All-Big East. He has given Arkansas a steady bat to pair with clean-up hitter Brady Slavens, who averaged .333 and doubled three times in Arlington.
“We knew at the end of the season last year that we needed another big hitter in the middle of our order,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “When we got Brady back and brought Jared in, we start thinking, ‘OK, these guys could be in the middle.’
“And so far that’s what we’ve gotten — two veteran guys that have really used both sides of the field.”