March 2, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. –Catcher/first baseman Aaron Westlake was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after hitting .667 in five games last week.
Westlake was a torrid 10-for-15 (.667) in five games on the week with three doubles, three RBI and six runs scored. He walked three times and struck out just once and boasted a .867 slugging percentage with a .684 on base percentage.
The Redding, Calif., native started behind the plate for the first time in his career at any level on Saturday against Vermont. He did not make an error on the week in 27 chances and he caught a no-hitter for 6.2 innings in his first start at catcher.
He went 4-for-4 against the Catamounts on Friday and recorded two more hits in his first two at-bats on Saturday before ending his streak of six straight hits with a pop up to second in the fifth inning. Westlake finished with four hits again on Saturday and then added two more hits in three at-bats on Sunday. He is currently third in the SEC with a .577 batting average and tied for the conference lead with 15 hits.
“Aaron is deserving of the recognition,” said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. “It is good to see him back at full-strength after redshirting last season. He is a valuable offensive performer and showed his versatility by moving behind the plate and doing a good job there as well.”