Ball State University Athletics
Dean Anna Named MAC West Player Of The Week
April 07, 2008 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State junior shortstop Dean Anna has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, as announced Monday by the league office.
Anna hit .550 (11-for-20) last week as the Cardinals posted a perfect 5-0 record to improve their season-best winning streak to nine games. Six of his 11 hits went for extra bases -- including two home runs -- as he logged a 1.050 slugging percentage for the week. The shortstop led Ball State with seven RBI and 11 runs scored over the five games.
Anna's first home run of the week came in the seventh inning of Tuesday's game against Indiana Tech and gave Ball State the lead for good in the contest. He then scored two runs and recorded an RBI on two hits in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Dayton.
The junior leadoff batter continued his hot hitting over the weekend as Ball State swept a three-game MAC series with Buffalo. Anna went 6-for-12 in the series, including a four-hit performance to lead the Cardinals in Sunday's series finale.
Anna collected multiple hits in four of Ball State's five games last week. He also added four walks to raise his MAC-leading total to 25 for the season.
The junior-college transfer is in his first season with the Cardinals after playing his first two years at John A. Logan College in Illinois. Anna has started all 26 games and owns a .346 batting average. He leads Ball State with 12 doubles and three triples, and his 22 RBI are tied for second-best on the team.
Anna has helped the Cardinals to a 17-9 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in MAC play. The Cardinals currently stand alone atop the league standings. Ball State returns to action Tuesday with a midweek, non-conference game at IPFW. The Cardinals then return home for a weekend conference series with Bowling Green.
Anna's honor is the fourth individual award of the season for Ball State. Three weeks ago, the Cardinals swept the weekly MAC West awards with sophomore catcher Zach Dygert earning Player of the Week honors and freshman right-hander Kolbrin Vitek winning the Pitcher of the Week award. Last week, sophomore outfielder Ryan Chenoweth was named the league's Player of the Week.
