SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Helping lead the Hornets' offensive explosion at the plate en route to their first series win of the 2025 season, Sacramento State senior outfielder Tyler White has been named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday for the first time in his career.
White, the second Hornet player to be honored by the league office this season after teammate Evan Gibbons was named the conference's pitcher of the week on Feb. 24, became the first Sacramento State baseball student-athlete to pick up weekly honors since Gunner Gouldsmith on May 13 of last season.
In taking three of the four games against South Dakota State last week, White was a powerhouse atop the Hornet lineup, hitting .471 (8-for-17) with five runs scored, a double, two home runs, and 11 RBI, posting a 1.453 OPS thanks to an .882 slugging percentage and a .571 on-base percentage in the series. He also walked four times to bring his team-high total to 18 on the year — entering this week's contests ranked tied for third in the nation.
The senior from Glendora, Calif., had a hit in all four games against the Jackrabbits to extend his hitting streak to five games, including multiple hits in each of the first three contests against SDSU. His lone hit in the series finale was a dramatic three-run home run that tied the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth that forced extra innings.
White started the week with his first three-hit game of the year, a performance that included a home run and five RBI as part of a 14-2 drubbing in the series opener. The next day, he added two hits, two runs scored, and an RBI in a 14-5 win in game two, and finished off Friday's game three with two more this and an RBI as part of a 4-1 series-clinching triumph.
All told, the week helped White up his batting average nearly 100 points from .231 to .326 on the year, placing him third among the Hornet regulars entering this week's contests, while also leading the team in walks and runs scored (15), standing third in hits, and tied for second in RBI. His 1.044 OPS is third on the team while his .532 on-base percentage is tops among regulars.
After playing 12 games in the first 16 days of the season, Sacramento State has a short break before a run of five games in five days beginning this weekend. The Hornets face local rival Pacific in a split three-game series, with Sacramento State hosting the opener on Friday (March 7) and the finale on Sunday (March 9), while traveling to Stockton, Calif., for game two on Saturday (March 8).
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. for both games at John Smith Field, with the Hornets and Tigers will duel under the lights at 6 p.m. for game two.
Following that series, Sacramento State is then scheduled to host Nevada on Monday (March 10) at 6 p.m., before making a trip down Highway 99 to take on Fresno State on Tuesday (March 11) at 6 p.m.
