Suzuki Named National Player of the Week May 3, 2004 – Fullerton, Calif.
Cal State Fullerton junior catcher Kurt Suzuki was named National Player
of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, the first player to earn
national weekly honors from that publication since Kirk Saarloos received
recognition three times during the 2001 season.
Suzuki has reached base in his last 11 appearances and has hits in his
last nine official at-bats (one shy of the Fullerton record). In the Titans'
three-game sweep of Cal Poly last weekend, he batted .846 (11-for-13)
and reached based in 13 of his 15 appearances.
He had a eight singles, a double, a triple and a homer on the weekend
and had the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth in Friday's
3-2 win. He followed with a 5-for-5 effort in the Titans' 27-2 rout on
Saturday before going 3-for-3 on Sunday.
On the season, Suzuki is batting a Big West Conference-best .442 and has
a .545 on-base percentage. He is on the watch list for the Johnny Bench
Award, which is presented annually to college baseball's top catcher.
