Kyleigh Sand Captures Second Straight Big Ten Player of the Week Award
Kyleigh Sand of Rutgers softball captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. Photo: Rutgers Athletics.
For the second consecutive week, standout shortstop Kyleigh Sand captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors for Rutgers softball.
“Sand hit .500 (8-for-16) with six runs scored and two RBIs and was named to the Mardi Gras Classic All-Tournament team in RU’s 3-2 week. She cracked the Rutgers all-time stolen bases leaders list and extended her hit streak to 18 games. Rutgers is now 8-2 on the year after opening the schedule winning its first eight straight games — the program’s best start to a single season since 1980.
Per a press release issued by the Softball department at Rutgers University:
“On day two action, Sand was 2-for-4 in the second game against Devilettes with an RBI and three stolen bases, including one at home plate, in a 7-1 victory extending RU’s win streak to eight straight. She was then 2-for-3 with a stolen base in a 4-1 setback to host South Alabama.
“Sand closed the weekend 2-for-4 at the plate with her first triple of the year in a 4-0 loss to South Alabama.
“Altogether she posted seven stolen bases to move into ninth on the all-time list at Rutgers. With 37 stolen bases in her two seasons with RU, Sand needs only one more to move into a tie for seventh with Laurie McMahon (1988-91) and three more to tie for sixth with Brittney Lindley (2009-12).
“While on the field at short she was responsible for 11 putouts.
“On the season, Sand is batting .559 with 19 hits and 14 runs, five RBIs with 14 stolen bases. She leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits and stolen bases. Nationally, she is second in stolen bases, third in hits and12th in runs per game.
“This marks Sand’s second weekly honor from the conference this season and third of her career becoming RU’s first three-time Big Ten weekly award winner since joining the league in 2014-15.
“Last week Sand picked up the accolade after hitting .611 (11-for-18) with eight runs, 3 RBIs and seven stolen bases as Rutgers opened up at 5-0 for the first time since 1993 at the NorCal Kickoff. She also earned player of the week last season following RU’s 5-1 record in their first home weekend of the season hitting .619 (13-for-21) with 10 runs and eight RBIs and perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases.”
Michael Cohen is the News and Sports Director at Fox Sports Radio New Jersey and Magic 98.3 FM, as well as a radio production assistant with Fox and Magic in New Jersey. He started his career in Somerset in 2018 initially as a news fill-in at WCTC 1450 AM, and soon moved up to higher responsibilities in the ensuing years, assuming News & Sports Director title in 2021Prior to his time with Fox Sports New Jersey, Michael was play-by-play voice for New Jersey Jackals baseball, and as well as play-by-play and color for the College of Staten Island basketball (men and women), softball and baseball. Michael began his career as a news and sportswriter with the Jersey Journal of Hudson County.