Student-Athlete of the Week - April 21, 2008

Name: Danny Stienstra
Sport: Baseball
Year: Freshman
Position: 1B

Danny Stienstra has been selected the Spartan Foundation Student-Athlete of the Week for his performances last week for the San Jose State baseball team in the team's sweep of Louisiana Tech.

Stienstra hit exactly .600 with five runs batted in and an .800 slugging percentage for a second straight week, going 9-for-15 over four starts at first base after finishing the previous week at 12-for-20 over five games. He was again his team’s top offensive player during the week as San Jose State produced a four-game WAC series sweep for the first time, at home over Louisiana Tech.

The freshman out of Woodside, Calif., and Saint Francis High School, produced the first walk-off base hit of his college career in the ninth inning of Saturday’s doubleheader nightcap, a dramatic, come-from-behind, 3-2 triumph for the Spartans. With the bases loaded and one out following an intentional walk to Kyle Bellows, Stienstra belted an 0-1 pitch that bounded off the leg of Bulldog relief pitcher Alan Knotts and into foul territory on the first base side for an infield single, driving in fellow freshman Bryson Rahier with the game-winning run. He finished the game 3-for-5 with the RBI, for his first collegiate three-hit game after a five-hit effort and a trio of four-hit performances.

Stienstra previously went 2-for-3 with a triple, sacrifice and run scored during Friday’s seven-inning, 11-1 victory. His first collegiate triple came with one out in the fifth inning, to right center to drive in a pair of runs. Stienstra then scored on a single up the middle by another freshman teammate, Jason Martin. He knocked in three runs on the night to match his career high, also producing an RBI single during a three-run Spartan first.

Stienstra went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and an RBI in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The double, to the opposite field to right center like his triple the night before, drove in the final run of the game for the Spartans with two outs in the sixth inning of an 8-3 triumph.

To round out the series on Sunday, Stienstra put together his fourth straight multiple-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk, hit-by-pitch and run scored in the 4-2 victory to complete the series sweep, extending his personal-best hit streak to eight games. Stienstra led off the fourth by being hit by a pitch and came around to score the first run of the day.

For the week, Stienstra started all four games, the last three in the clean-up spot in the order, and hit .600 (9-for-15), slugging .800 with a .667 on-base percentage. He led the team in hits (9) and total bases (12), was second in RBI (5), and handled 36 chances without an error defensively at first base.

Past 2007-08 Spartan Foundation Student-Athletes of the Week
August 27 - Jennifer Senftleben, Women's Volleyball
September 4 - Nick Cukar, Men's Soccer
September 10 - Keri Anglin, Women's Volleyball
September 17 - Ismael Ibarra, Men's Soccer
September 24 - Adam Tafralis, Football
October 1 - Matt Castelo, Football
October 8 - Brie Marhenke, Women's Swimming
October 15 - Kristal Tsukano, Women's Volleyball
October 29 - Kelly Crow, Women's Volleyball
November 12 - Stephan Stallworth, Men's Golf
November 19 - C.J. Webster, Men's Basketball
November 26 - Adam Tafralis, Football
December 3 - Natalie White, Women's Basketball
December 10 - Brie Marhenke, Women's Swimming
December 17 - Natalie White, Women's Basketball
January 1 - Justin Graham, Men's Basketball
January 7 - Caitlin Macky, Women's Swimming
January 14 - C.J. Webster, Men's Basketball
January 28 - Kendra Adama, Women's Water Polo
February 4 - Veronica Porte, Women's Gymnastics
February 11 - Silvana Dukic, Women's Tennis
February 18 - Raylyn Cardeno, Women's Gymnastics
February 25 - Brie Marhenke, Women's Swimming
March 3 - Veronica Porte, Women's Gymnastics
March 10 - John Shaffer, Baseball
March 17 - Sarah Taylor, Softball
March 24 - Ashley Tavita, Women's Tennis
April 1- Veronica Porte, Women's Gymnastics
April 7 - Ryan Shopshire, Baseball
April 14 - Cristina Corpus, Women's Golf
April 21 - Danny Stienstra, Baseball