FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas slugger Andrew Benintendi picked up his second national player of the year award on Thursday when Baseball America selected the sophomore center fielder as it top college baseball player.
Benintendi, the No. 7 pick by the Boston Red Sox in this week's major league draft, was previously named the SEC Player of the Year in a vote of league coaches and national player of the year by Collegiate Baseball magazine.
Benintendi glance
NAME Andrew Benintendi
SCHOOL Arkansas
CLASS Sophomore
POSITION Center fielder
BATTING STATISTICS .380 batting average, 19 home runs 55 RBI, 61 runs scores, 23 stolen bases, 158 total bases, .715 slugging percentage, .489 on-base percentage.
AWARDS Baseball America Player of the Year, Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year. Finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.
NOTEWORTHY Taken by the Boston Red Sox with the seventh overall pick in the major-league baseball amateur draft. … Is the first Razorback player to be named national player of the year.
The Cincinnati native is also one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award given to the top player in amateur baseball and the Dick Howser Trophy, which goes to the national collegiate baseball player of the year.
Benintendi's sizzling streak through the last half of the regular season coincided with Arkansas' turnaround from an 11-12 record to earning the program's eighth College World Series appearance.
The 5-10, 180-pounder is batting .380 with 19 home runs, 55 RBI and 23 stolen bases heading into Arkansas' CWS opener against Virginia at 2 p.m. Saturday at TD Ameritrade Stadium in Omaha, Neb. His 19 home runs are tied for the NCAA lead with Eastern Kentucky's Kyle Nowlin and Miami's David Thompson.
Benintendi, who batted .415 in the regular season, raised his average more than 100 points from last season (.276) and increased his home run total by 18.
"I had high expectations for myself," said Benintendi, the first Arkansas player to be named a national player of the year. "Coming in to Arkansas, I knew I was sophomore eligible [for the draft]. Coming into last year I think I was putting a little too much pressure on myself, so this year I just tried to have fun and it ended up going pretty well.
"It's been a great experience here, and I love it."
Benintendi said he will have a hard time turning down the contract offer put forth by the Red Sox, but he hopes to continue his hot hitting in Omaha before moving on with his career.
"It's been a great experience here, and I'm still looking forward to winning a few games in Omaha," Benintendi said. "We've got a lot to play for."
Benintendi would become the third player in SEC history to lead the league in batting average and home runs if he can lead those categories after the College World Series. Only Mississippi State's Rafael Palmerio in 1984 and Kentucky's Jeff Abbott in 1994 have accomplished that feat.
Sports on 06/12/2015