Freshman went 8-for-19 with 7 RBI as Texas went 3-1 last week
Texas catcher/first baseman Tres Barrera has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday.
Barrera led the team to a 3-1 record, including a series victory at Texas Tech, with an 8-for-19 (.421) week at the plate. The freshman had a .737 slugging percentage with three doubles and his first career home run, while his seven RBI were tied for the most in the league last week.
His best game at the plate came on Friday in an 11-1 win over the Red Raiders, when he went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, two doubles and two HBP to reach base five times on the evening. He hit his first career home run on Saturday, a solo shot, and gave the Longhorns an early lead on Sunday with a two-out RBI single in the first inning.
Since March 11, Barrera is 23-of-50 (.460) at the plate, including five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has a .660 slugging percentage and a .491 on-base percentage (1.151 OPS) in that span and has raised his batting average 171 points (.128 to .299).
Barrera has also been excellent defensively, having yet to commit an error in 27 games played. The versatile freshman has seen time behind the plate, at first base and as designated hitter.
Barrera is the third Longhorn to earn weekly honors from the Big 12 this season. Mark Payton was named Player of the Week on Feb. 17 and Dillon Peters was named Pitcher of the Week on March 3.