Monday, April 02, 2012

Valparaiso senior catcher Jordan Rutkowski (Alden, N.Y./Alden) has been named the Horizon League’s co-Player of the Week after breaking the Crusaders’ single-season RBIs record and matching the program’s single-season home runs mark in the midst of another impressive week.  It marks Rutkowski’s third weekly honor from the league office this year, matching the most weekly awards to a position player in a single season in Horizon League history.

Rutkowski started the week with a 1-for-3 effort in a non-league game against Purdue, connecting on a three-run homer in the Crusaders’ one-run loss.  The senior then enjoyed a stellar weekend in Valpo’s three-game sweep of Green Bay, kicking off the series with a 4-for-4, 2-run, 3-RBI performance in the opener, which including a home run to cap the run-rule victory.  The round-tripper was Rutkowski’s 11^th of the year, already matching the single-season record set by KC Boldt last season.

In the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, Rutkowski went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.  She drove in one run with her first double of the game, while her second two-bagger brought home two more runs, giving her 43 RBIs on the year.  That total already surpasses the previous single-season record of 42 Rutkowski set last season, which had also been matched by Boldt.  Rutkowski capped the weekend with a 1-for-3 effort in Valpo’s come-from-behind win on Sunday, scoring the tying run in the Crusaders’ four-run sixth inning.

For the week, Rutkowski went 8-for-14 (.571) with an impressive 1.214 slugging percentage, scoring six runs and driving in nine.  The senior also had a stretch of seven consecutive games in which she drove in multiple runs snapped on Sunday.  Rutkowski, who currently leads the Horizon League in seven different offensive categories, and the rest of the Crusaders return to the field on Wednesday, traveling to Bowling Green for a non-league doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. CDT.