Northwestern University Athletics
Mulé and Owens Off to Hot Start
3/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. - Antonio Mulé and Jake Owens are two of the Big Ten's top hitting players through the first month of the season. Mulé's .455 batting average ranks fifth in league statistics with nine more at-bats than any player in the top 10. Owens is hitting .408 and leads the league with 10 runs scored.
Through NU's first 11 games this season, Mule has the edge in batting average, .455 to .408. Mulé holds this edge because Owens has registered more at-bats (49 Owens, 41 Mulé). Mulé has been walked six times, Owens once, and each has been hit by a pitch.
Mulé is 20-for-44 with two home runs, a triple and double. His two round-trippers lead the team. He also has scored eight runs and is tied for the team lead with eight RBI. Mulé's .529 on-base percentage is almost a hundred points higher than anyone else on the team. The next highest is Owens at .431.
Owens is 20-for-49 with one home run, a triple and two doubles. He has scored 10 runs and driven in three. Owens also has two sacrifice bunts.
Last weekend against Kentucky, the two hitters combined to go 16-for-27 with seven runs scored and six RBI. Amazingly, each player had eight hits and all eight of Mulé's were singles. Owens hit for the cycle in the three games, knocking his first collegiate home run in game two.
Owens has started every game at second base, while Mulé has started six games in right field and five as the team's designated hitter.
Owens leads NU with five multiple-hit games, but Mulé is right on his heels with four. Mulé is second in the Big Ten with eight RBI and has recorded three games with multiple runs driven in.
Northwestern's baseball team is off this week because of finals. NU is back in action Saturday, March 18 at the University of Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif. Game one of three against the Broncos is set for 1 p.m. (PT).
