BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- Samford junior first baseman Saxon Butler was named the National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association on Tuesday.
This marks the second award Butler has received for his performance last week. Butler was named the Southern Conference's Player of the Week on Monday.
Butler batted .429 (9-for-21) with two doubles, two grand slams and 10 RBI in helping lead Samford to a 4-1 record in five games last week. Butler was a combined 6-for-13 with a double, two grand slams and eight RBI in the Bulldogs' Southern Conference series win over Georgia Southern. He also went 3-for-8 with a double and two RBI in two midweek wins over UAB.
Friday's grand slam proved to be the game-winner as it came in the bottom of the eighth inning with Samford trailing GSU, 4-1. Butler's Saturday grand slam came in the second inning and helped Samford jump out to a 5-0 lead before eventually winning, 9-2. The Bulldogs ran their winning streak to seven games before falling to the Eagles in Sunday's series finale.
For the season, Butler is third on the team with a .367 batting average. He leads the team in RBI with 24, and he is tied for second on the squad in home runs with four.
Butler and the Bulldogs will next be in action tonight when they play at Ole Miss. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start from Oxford, Miss.