----------------------------------------------------------------------
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
SportsDay's baseball player of the week: Tanner Toal
11:21 PM CDT on Sunday, April 13, 2008
By TODD WILLS / The Dallas Morning News
twills@dallasnews.com
School: Southlake Carroll
Tanner Toal What he did: Toal hit three home runs and had six RBIs in a 13-5 victory Saturday at Flower Mound Marcus. Toal's three homers tied the school record held by Aaron Luna, according to coach Larry Hughes. Luna is a junior at Rice and an All-American candidate.
The stats: Toal is batting .364 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. He has seven doubles and has scored 22 runs. He is batting .400 with runners in scoring position.
Who is he? He is a senior third baseman.
He said it: "Every ball I hit was hard except for one. After the first one, you don't think you're going to get anything to hit. It's hard to know what pitch you're going to get next. So I just calmed down and relaxed. It's one of those freak things that will probably never happen again."
Coach said it: "He fits in real well. He is one of the leaders on our team. Because of how good he is, he's one of the players our guys look to." – Hughes.
Did you know? Toal plays summer league baseball for the Dallas Mustangs' 18-and-under team. ...Toal has signed with Grayson County College, whose top alums include Los Angeles Angels pitcher John Lackey, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Brandon Fahey and Los Dodgers third baseman Andy LaRoche. ... Toal likes to hunt and fish. ... Favorite baseball player: Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton. ... Favorite TV show: CSI and That '70s Show. ... Favorite movie: Lonesome Dove or 3:10 to Yuma.
HONORABLE MENTION
Player School Cl. Pos. Notable
Preston Beck Bishop Lynch Jr. 3B 11 Ks vs. TCA-Addison
Jeremy Ehrke Irving Nimitz Sr. P 12 Ks in 10⅔ innings
Ben Flora Plano West Sr. P One-hit shutout vs. Allen
Ty Herrick G.N. Forest Sr. P 13 Ks in win vs. Garland
Fola Lajide S.G. Prairie Jr. OF/P Has 11 consecutive hits
Brian Ragira Arl. Martin So. 3B Batting .480 in district play
Mike Sims Lake Highlands Sr. CF 13-game hitting streak