Leopald takes Player of the Week award

WACO — The Red River Athletic Conference named Columbus native Hayden Leopald the Player of the Week on Monday for the week of March 6-12.

The University of Houston- Victoria senior Leopold was 7-for-10 with seven RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a home run to help the Jaguars to two wins in a three-game series with University of the Southwest.

He was a single shy of the cycle as the Jaguars beat USW 16-6 in Game 2 of the series. His solo home run in the third inning of Game 2 was his first of the year.

“I’m happy to be recognized with this award,” Leopold said. “I’ve been seeing the ball well lately, and my confidence has been through the roof. It’s been fun to play my part with how well the team is playing right now.”

Leopold went 2-for-2 with three RBIs to help the UHV beat the University of the Southwest 16-1 on Sunday in the final game of the series and extend his hitting streak to six games.

In that span, he has a .684 average and five multihit performances.

His three hits in Game 2 against USW tied a season- high.

Leopold is the first Jaguar baseball player recognized with a weekly award this season.

“Hayden is very deserving of this award,” said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. “It’s great to see his and the team’s hard work starting to pay off.”