COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU sophomore second baseman/outfielder Kent Walton and senior right-handed pitcher jesse Craig have been named Mountain West Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Walton batted .538 (7-for-13) at the plate in three games vs. Utah last week, hitting two home runs and a double, while collecting three RBI and scoring five runs. In game one vs. the Utes, he broke a 4-4 tie with a solo home run in the seventh inning, putting the Cougars up for good on the way to a 5-4 win. The win secured BYU's second-seed in this week's MWC Baseball Championship. In a 5-4 game two win, Walton went 2-for-4 with another solo home run. In the final game of the series, he went 4-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored in BYU's 12-5 win.
Craig improved his record to 10-2 on the season (6-0 in conference play) with a game one win over Utah last Thursday. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, Craig battled back to set the Utes down in order in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings. He struck out two batters in the first, fourth and fifth innings. In his 7.0 innings on the mound, he gave up seven hits, one earned run and two walks, while striking out eight.
This is the second time both players have been named to the honor this season. Walton was first named MWC Player of the Week for his performance against UNLV. Craig was first named MWC Pitcher of the Week for his outing at TCU.