IRVING, Texas – UCF senior right-hander Cade Boxrucker has been named the Big 12 Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday. Kansas’ Jake English (player) and Reese Dutton (co-newcomer), and TCU’s Louis Rodriguez (pitcher) also earned this week’s conference weekly honors.
Boxrucker was one out away from a no-hitter on Tuesday, allowing just one hit through 8.2 innings against Jacksonville. The West Chester, Ohio native allowed just five batters to reach base and struck out four Dolphins. The senior right-hander was the winning pitcher in the 6-0 UCF shutout victory, as he faced the minimum in the second, fourth, fifth and eighth innings. The integrative general studies major is the first UCF player to win a Big 12 baseball weekly award.
English hit .500 and reached base in every game as the Jayhawks picked up their first Big 12 series sweep on the road since 2014. The senior from Olathe, Kansas had back-to-back three-hit games to open the series, homering in both games. The liberal arts and sciences major walked twice and scored a run in the series finale. He limited BYU to two stolen base attempts in two errorless games behind the plate, throwing out one of the would-be base stealers, before playing the final game of the series at first base.
Rodriguez spun eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball, and was the winning pitcher in the 14-1 TCU victory Thursday. The sophomore right-hander struck out 10 Houston batters, and needed just 80 pitches to navigate eight innings. The Long Beach, California native retired the first 12 batters he faced and allowed just one baserunner through seven innings.
Dutton earned his sixth consecutive win, making him the first KU pitcher since at least 2003 with wins in six consecutive appearances. In the series opener against BYU, the sport management major allowed one run over eight innings of work, striking out a career-high 12, the most for a Kansas pitcher since 2020. The right-hander from Kenosha, Wisconsin has won four consecutive Big 12 series-opening starts, which marks the first time KU has won the opening game of the first four Big 12 series since 2000.
Boxrucker and the newly ranked Knights, who are ranked No. 20 Perfect Game and No. 25 by D1Baseball, will have a busy week in which they’ll play five games over a six-day span. UCF will first head to Daytona Beach to face Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before returning to John Euliano Park to host North Florida on Wednesday. The Black and Gold will then welcome Kansas State to town this Friday to Sunday for a three-game Big 12 Conference series.
Big 12 Players of the Week
Player:
Feb. 19: Kodey Shojinaga, KU, IF, So. & Anthony Silva, TCU, IF, So.
Feb. 26: Peyton Powell, UT, UTL, Sr.
Mar. 3: Brady Day, K-State, IF, Jr.
Mar. 11: Easton Carmichael, OU, C, So. & Max Belyeu, UT, OF, So.
Mar. 18: Bryce Madron, OU, OF, Sr.
Mar. 25: Max Belyeu, UT, OF, So.
Apr. 1: Jake English, KU, C, Sr.
Pitcher:
Feb. 19: Mason Marriott, BU, RHP, Jr.
Feb. 26: Lebarron Johnson Jr., UT, RHP, Jr.
Mar. 3: Braeden Sloan, TCU, LHP, So.
Mar. 11: Reese Dutton, KU, RHP, Sr.
Mar. 18: Tommy Boba, UC, RHP, So.
Mar. 25: Payton Tolle, TCU, LHP, Jr.
Apr. 1: Louis Rodriguez, TCU, RHP, So.
Newcomer:
Feb. 19: Chase Brunson, TCU, OF, Fr.
Feb. 26: TJ Pompey, TTU, IF, Fr.
Mar. 3: Josh Kross, UC, IF/C, Jr. & Lenny Ashby, OF, Sr.
Mar. 11: Reese Dutton, KU, RHP, Sr. & Jacob Frost, K-State, LHP, Jr.
Mar. 18: Mason Green, BU, LHP, Fr.
Mar. 25: Payton Tolle, TCU, LHP, Jr.
Apr. 1: Cade Boxrucker, UCF, RHP & Reese Dutton, KU, RHP