MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Veteran shortstop Tevin Tucker has one of the hottest bats in the Big 12 right now. And the conference has taken notice.

The Mountaineer graduate student has been named this week’s Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

Tucker hit for a .571 average and scored seven runs across WVU’s 4-0 week. He tallied three multi-hit games, with arguably his top performance coming in a 3 for 4 night at the plate at PNC Park against Pitt. He recorded two steals in that game as well.

In Saturday’s comeback win over TCU, the Prince George, Virginia native reached base four times, collecting two hits and a walk. He also recorded the game-winning single in Sunday’s 17-7 rout of the Horned Frogs.

Tucker extended his reached-base streak to 30 consecutive games over the weekend, and raised his season batting average to .379. He has recorded eight multi-hit games in the month of April.

Tucker is the latest Mountaineer to be honored by the conference this year. He joins JJ Wetherholt as WVU players to earn Player of the Week honors. Blaine Traxel and Robby Porco have won Pitcher of the Week awards this year.

With Tucker leading the way, West Virginia rose back into the national rankings on Monday, and is on top of the Big 12 Conference standings. The Mountaineers host Penn State on Tuesday beginning at 6:30 p.m.