NORFOLK, Va. – For the second time this season, Coppin State's
Justin Banks has been named the MEAC Baseball Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Banks had also received the conference's weekly honor on March 25, 2019.
A junior first baseman from Fairfield, Calif., Banks hit .588 (10-for-17) at the plate in four games last week, leading the Eagles to a three-game sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore and a new school-record for wins in a season (24).
After collecting a base knock at Lehigh, Banks went 9-of-13 (.692) in the series against the Hawks, recording a pair of runs, four RBI, three doubles and a walk. Banks totaled a .765 slugging percentage and .579 on-base percentage for the week.
In the opening game of a doubleheader against UMES on Saturday, Banks finished 2-for-5 with a double, before going 4-for-5, two run, two RBI, two double effort in the nightcap. The following afternoon in the series finale, Banks went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and a walk.
This season, Banks leads the MEAC in hits (58), home runs (5), RBI (41), slugging percentage (.629), on-base percentage (.511) and total bases (88) while ranking second in the conference with a .414 batting average, 15 doubles and 29 walks. He's been intentionally walked 12 times this season, ranking in the top five Nationally.
Banks has dominated in league-play, leading the MEAC with a .453 average, 25 RBI, 22 walks, a .559 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage. His ten doubles and 34 base hits are the second-most in the league in those games.
Nationally, Banks sits eighth in batting average, 12
th in on-base percentage, 37
th in doubles per game, 40
th in hits per game and 50
th in total doubles.
