Sonny DiChiara swings his way to College Baseball National Player of the Week

Auburn first baseman Sonny DiChiara has been named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week after his impressive second week of the 2022 season.

The senior slugger played in four games last week in which he went 8-for-13 and continued his seven-game hitting streak that he started in the first game of the season. DiChiara has been able to display his power already this season, as six of his eight hits have gone for extra bases, including a team-best three home runs and three doubles.  

He has put the nation, as well as the SEC, on notice through week two of the season by leading the conference in doubles (six) and ranking top three in the league in batting average (.545), on-base percentage (.645), slugging (1.227), home runs (three) and total bases (27).

Starting with the home opener versus Troy on Wednesday, the Hoover, Alabama native put on a showing. He went 2-for-2 with a double, home run and season-high four RBIs to ignite the fire that burned throughout the rest of the week.

In the weekend series with Yale, DiChiara kept his hot streak alive with a career-high three base knocks in the game on Friday, including a double and his second home run of the season, before blasting a 399-foot shot for his third dinger in as many games a day later against the Bulldogs.

He reached base safely in 11 of his 12 plate appearances from Feb. 20-25, and the only time he was retired was on a sac-fly. He was also walked on three occasions during the week. Every time No. 17 came to the plate, he had something positive to contribute to his team.

DiChiara rides his three-game home run streak and seven-game hitting streak into six games in six days this week at Plainsman Park. The stretch starts with midweek contests against in-state opponents in Alabama State on Tuesday and UAB on Wednesday, before hosting Rhode Island for a four-game weekend series starting on Friday.