March 23, 2009

DeKalb, Ill. - For the third time this season, a Northern Illinois baseball player was selected for a Mid-American Conference weekly award as junior Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) earned MAC West Division Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in this past weekend's three-game sweep of Buffalo.

"Jordin had a great weekend for us," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey, who has now had 10 pitchers and nine hitters earn MAC weekly awards since 2003. "He hit for a high average, drove in runs and got on base a lot. I'm very happy for him to get this recognition. He has probably been our most consistent hitter and has played every position we have asked him to play and has done a good job."

Hood, who joins teammates senior Andy Deain (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) and junior Chuck Lukanen (Lombard, Ill./North Iowa Area C.C.) as the three Huskies to win MAC weekly honors, went 5-for-10 with five RBI, four runs, three doubles, a triple, two walks, three HBP, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage to earn the honor for the second time in his career.

He extended his hitting streak to a career-high tying 15 games and has tallied multiple RBI in four of his last five while recording a double in five straight games. In Friday's 14-3 win, he went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. In Saturday's 9-3 win, he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, three RBI, a triple and was hit by two pitches. In Sunday's 5-4 walk-off win, he went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two walks, including an intentional walk in the ninth to set up junior Dave Reynolds' (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) game-winning hit. On the season, he leads NIU with a .419 average, 18 runs, 31 hits, 10 doubles, 21 RBI, 10 HBP, seven steals, a .662 slugging percentage and a .517 on-base percentage.

The Huskies (8-12, 3-0 MAC) have already surpassed last year's MAC weekly award total of two and head to Peoria, Ill. tomorrow to take on Bradley (5-11, 0-3 Missouri Valley Conference) in a doubleheader that starts at 4 p.m CT.