By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Andrew Fernandez, a shortstop on the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team, was voted as Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week today after his scorching offensive performance helped the Skyhawks to a series victory in their league opener.
Fernandez becomes the 12th player in program history to win OVC Player of the Week honors and the first since 2017. The switch-hitter out of Kissimmee, Fla. hit .500 (10-for-20) with five runs scored, five RBI’s and a stolen base over four games this week for UT Martin, slugging .850 with four doubles and a home run.
After starting his week with a four-hit effort at Alabama A&M on Tuesday, Fernandez hit an even .400 (6-of-15) in the first OVC series of the season against Eastern Illinois. The 5-7, 180-pound junior powered the Skyhawks to two victories against the Panthers, who came into the series as the nation’s co-leader in road wins and had the highest RPI (51) in the league.
Fernandez collected two hits in the Eastern Illinois series opener, scoring a run in UT Martin’s 9-5 triumph. He cranked a two-run homer in the middle game before going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI’s in the rubber contest as the Skyhawks downed the Panthers by a 12-4 margin.
A transfer from Tallahassee Community College, Fernandez has excelled in his debut season at UT Martin. He currently leads the OVC with 64 assists and additionally ranks in the top-10 in the league in hits (29, second), doubles (8, second) and batting average (.315, ninth). He tops the Skyhawks in RBI’s (15), extra-base hits (10), multi-hit games (eight) and multi-RBI performances (six).
UT Martin is back in action with four games this week, starting with a road outing at Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. tomorrow. The Skyhawks then return home for a three-game OVC set against SIUE on Friday, March 31 through Sunday, April 2.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information