Baldwin’s Suzuki named
Big West Player of Year
Kurt Suzuki, who walked on at Cal State-Fullerton, was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year yesterday after a vote by conference coaches.
Suzuki, who came to Fullerton as a non-scholarship player from Baldwin High in Wailuku in 2001, is fifth in the nation in NCAA Division I batting at .438.
Last Friday, he was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award to the nation's best collegiate catcher. He is also on the Baseball America newspaper player of the year watch list.
Suzuki put an exclamation point on his third Big West season on Sunday when he hit two home runs and drove in a career-high six runs against then-8th ranked Long Beach State .
In the Big West -- one of the nation's top-tier baseball conferences -- he ranks among the top three in 10 categories. He is No. 1 in batting (.438), RBIs (74), slugging percentage (.726) and on-base average (.545).
Although he has been Fullerton's top offensive and defensive player nearly all season, Suzuki elevated his game to player of the year level during a series against Cal Poly two weekends ago. In that game he reached base in 13 of his 15 appearances and had nine straight hits.
Last Sunday, after Fullerton clinched the Big West championship and automatic NCAA berth, he had his best game of all -- 4-for-5, including a two-run home run in the sixth, a three-run homer in the seventh, a double, four runs scored and six RBIs.
