Texas Tech baseball’s Hunter Hargrove has been named the inaugural winner of the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA), it was announced today.
Hargrove will be honored at a gala, presented by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, on Sept. 26 at the Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth. The award is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.
Hargrove, from Mansfield, led the Red Raiders with a .343 batting average in 2017. He also held the team’s top marks in hits (84), doubles (26) and runs (56), while also driving in 51 RBI. A three-year letterwinner, Hargrove leaves Tech with 139 hits, 91 RBI and 82 runs scored for a career batting average of .315.
His 26 doubles in 2017 were tied for fifth-most in a single season by a Red Raider, matching Clint Bryant in 1996. His total also led the Big 12 and ranked third in the NCAA this season. The Big 12 Player of the Year’s hit figures and runs scored numbers both placed second among conference competition this year.
Hargrove put together the team’s longest hitting streak with over 15 games from the start of the season on Feb. 17 to March 10, tallying 22 hits during that stretch. He would do it again from April 26 to June 2, recording 23 knocks during that time. Hargrove also ended the year with 18-straight games reaching base safely, beginning on the April 26 game at New Mexico.
He came one multi-hit game shy of the team-best, putting up 23, which featured seven three-hit games and two four-hit bids. He also finished second in multi-RBI performances with 14, with five instances of three-RBI days, two games with four and one with six against California on Feb. 26.
On Wednesday, Hargrove was selected in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
The award was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in Texas. The BBCSA originally had 22 players nominated for the award from 21 Division I programs in the state. Eight more players were added to the watch list at midseason. A 15-member selection committee voted on the candidates.
(Courtesy: Texas Tech Sports Communications Department)