Feb. 24, 2009

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech third baseman Chris Kersten was named LATechSports.com Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday after the senior belted four home runs and totaled 13 RBI in last weekend's three-game sweep over Grambling State.

Kersten hit .700 (7-for-10) in Tech's three games against the Tigers. Not only did he hit home runs and drive in base runners, but he also scored nine times, smashed three doubles, forced two walks, stole one base and he did not strikeout a single time. Currently, he has an on-base percentage of .769 and a slugging percentage of 2.200.

The native of Kiowa, Kan. drove in the Bulldogs first run in the first inning of all three games over the weekend. In the first inning of Tech's season opener at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park on Friday, Kersten hit an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season. Four innings later, he cracked a solo home run, his first of the season.

On Saturday at Tiger Stadium in Grambling, Kersten hit a three-run home run in the first inning to put the Bulldogs ahead 3-0. After two of his teammates reached by a single and an error, respectively, in the second inning, Kersten once again hit a three-run home run to give himself six RBIs on the day, a new career-high.

The series against Grambling State shifted back to the LA Tech campus on Sunday. In Kersten's first at-bat, he drew an RBI walk. After the walk, he hit a two-run RBI double and followed that at-bat with another double. Before his day ended, he hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run homer to center field.

The Western Athletic Conference rewarded Kersten for his fantastic weekend by naming him WAC Hitter of the Week on Monday. The hitter of the week honor is Kersten's first of his career.

The 6-4, 230-pound slugger currently leads the conference in several categories, including batting average (.700), slugging percentage (2.200), on-base percentage (.769), RBI (13) and home runs (4).