SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State junior outfielder Erick Dessens was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday afternoon following a scintillating week at the plate for the Hornets in their conference-opening three-game series at Utah Tech.
It is the first career award from the WAC office for Dessens and the first by a Sacramento State player since Tyler White was named the league's player of the week back on March 3, 2025. He is the second Hornet to pick up weekly honors from the conference this season after right-hander Ethan Lay was the league's pitcher of the week on March 23.
Dessens was red hot on the road against the Trailblazers in the heart of the Sacramento State order, batting .643 (9-for-14) with a 1.738 OPS while adding four runs scored, clubbing a pair of home runs, and driving in nine. He finished with multiple hits in all three contests, including a perfect 5-for-5 effort in the finale during which he reached base six times thanks to an intentional walk in the third inning.
He became the first Hornet to collect five hits and finish 5-for-5 at the plate since Gunner Gouldsmith did so against Stephen F. Austin on May 11, 2024. In the process, he also drove in five runs against Utah Tech to become the fourth different Sacramento State player to drive in five in a game this season.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native added two hits in each of the first two games of the series giving him a team-high 14 multi-hit games. With four RBI in the opener and his five in the finale, he collected his 11th and 12th multi-RBI games to also lead the team in that category.
Dessens enters this week's games leading the WAC in hits with 49, standing tied for second in RBI with 39, ranking tied for sixth with eight home runs after slugging a pair against the Trailblazers, and placing ninth in the league with a .582 slugging percentage.
Nationally, his hit total ranks No. 22 in the NCAA while his RBIs rank No. 43 in the country.
Dessens and his teammates open a six-game homestand on Monday night (April 6) at 6 p.m., hosting Nevada in a non-conference affair at John Smith Field.
