MANHATTAN, KanSAS – After hitting .500 over last week’s five games, K-State first baseman Jake Scudder was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the period ending February 28, the conference office announced. It is the first weekly honor of his career.

A native of Rock Island, Illinois, Scudder paced all Big 12 newcomers in batting average and on-base percentage (.600) after tallying multiple hits in four of the five games last week. The Iowa Western CC transfer also reached base safely three or more times in four of the five contests with the help of six walks – the most among all Big 12 hitters.

In addition to base on balls, the junior finished among the Big 12’s overall top-five in doubles (T-1st, 3), hits (T-2nd, 9), OBP (T-3rd, .600), RBI (T-4th, 7) and batting average (T-4th, .500).

Scudder generated five of his team-best seven RBI with two outs as he was 3-for-4 in such situations. In all two-out scenarios, he had five hits in eight at-bats.

Scudder, who leads the team in multi-hit and multi-RBI games this season with four each, is pacing the Wildcats with four extra-base hits, nine RBI and seven walks over the first eight games. He is also hitting .385 (10-for-26) with a .500 OBP and .615 slugging percentage.

Scudder’s honor is the first Big 12 weekly award earned by a Wildcat since Nate Griep (pitcher) and Tyler Wolfe (newcomer) were tabbed in last season’s final round of accolades on May 18.

K-State has now earned five of the last eight Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards, a stretch that dates back to April 13, 2015.

The Wildcats, who opened the season with a 4-4 record over their eight-game road trip to California and Arizona, start their 2016 home schedule on Friday against UAPB at Tointon Family Stadium. The 3:05 p.m. contest kicks off a three-game set against the Golden Lions as well as a 12-game homestand.