Howard Selected MW Player of the Week
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— For the second week in a row and the third time in the last four weeks, a New Mexico Lobo has been named the Mountain West Player of the Week as outfielder Andrea Howard was selected for the conference weekly honor on Tuesday.
It marks the first weekly conference honor for Howard, who registered five hits, four of which went for extra bases, five RBI, with a slugging percentage of 1.500, a batting average of .500 and an on-base percentage of .583 against Utah State.
In the series, the Albuquerque native led the Lobos in slugging percentage, runs-batted-in, runs scored (six), home runs (three), walks (two), total bases (15) and tied for the team high in on-base percentage.
During her plate appearances, Howard was 3-for-4 in successfully advancing runners and with runners in scoring position and 2-for-3 with two outs with two of her RBI occurring with two outs.
Howard opened up the series with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with a double and a home run, accounting for two RBI in UNM’s 9-4 win. Her three hits tied her career high.
In game two on Friday, Howard hit two more home runs, the second time in three games that the Lobo hit two home runs in a game and the fourth-straight game that Howard hit a home run, recording three RBI in the 9-3 Lobo win. Her second home run in game two was part of a five-run inning for the Lobos that came after Utah State pulled within one at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
Between both games on Friday, Howard hit .714 with five hits, including three home runs and a double, posted a 2.143 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
Of note, with her three home runs in the doubleheader, Howard moved into the conference lead in home runs with 12 overall and eight in conference play, a lead that would last through the weekend.
The three player of the week selections are the most in a season since 2015, when the Lobos also had three.
Furthermore, it marks consecutive weeks that an Albuquerque native and La Cueva High School graduate has earned the award, joining Rachael Hathoot who was selected on May 11.
The Utah State series brought to a close a stellar senior season for Howard, who not only led the MW in home runs (both overall and in conference games), but was tied for first in overall slugging percentage (.728) and total bases (91) with MW Player of the Year Keahiele Mattson, but tied for second in overall walks (21) and tied for third in RBI (33). In conference games, Howard was second in slugging percentage (.809), third in total bases (55), tied for third in walks (12), tied for fourth in runs scored (19), tied for sixth in RBI (19) and seventh in on-base percentage (.439).
The centerfielder recorded her best season as a Lobo with 12 home runs, 42 hits, 33 RBI, a .336 batting average, .728 slugging percentage, .427 on-base percentage and 91 total bases.