COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State right fielder Jaden Fein collected his second straight Mountain West Player of the Week award on Monday for another set of outstanding performances in helping the Aztecs take three out of four games in their series vs. UC San Diego this past weekend, Feb. 26-28.
With his accolade, Fein merited the second weekly conference honor of his career, becoming the first Aztec repeat winner since Tyler Adkison accomplished the feat between March 20 and March 27, 2017.
Against the Tritons, Fein recorded a team-best .526 batting average (10-19), leading the Scarlet and Black with 10 hits, 15 total bases and seven runs scored while tying for the top spot with seven RBIs and four doubles.
In addition, the SDSU redshirt sophomore topped the squad with a .789 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage, posting a perfect 1.000 average (5-5) with runners in scoring position while notching a team-high .600 batting average (6-10) with runners on base.
Not to be outdone, the Simi Valley, California, native registered a 63.6 percent success rate in advancing runners (7-11) and shared the team lead with two RBIs with runners on third and less than two outs. He was also successful on both of his stolen bas attempts for the weekend.
In SDSU's 10-4 series-opening win on Feb. 26, Fein totaled 2 RBIs and a run scored, lifting a sacrifice fly during a three-run fourth inning that helped the Aztecs cut the deficit to 4-3. He also contributed a run-scoring single with two outs as part of a seven-run seventh inning that propelled SDSU to a big lead it would not relinquish.
In a 9-3 setback the following day, Fein accounted for all of the Aztecs' scoring with a three-run homer, his first of the year, finishing 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
In Sunday's doubleheader at UCSD, Fein led SDSU with four hits (4-6) and three runs scored, propelling the Aztecs to a 7-5 win in the opener in 11 innings. He belted a key run-scoring double with two outs in the third that tied the game at 2-2 and later singled, stole second and scored in a three-run fifth inning, helping the Scarlet and Black gain a 5-2 advantage. Then in the pivotal 11th, Fein doubled once again with two outs and scored one of the two go-ahead runs.
In the nightcap, Fein tied for the team lead with three hits (3-5) and two runs scored in SDSU's 13-6 victory. He led off with a single and scored during a three-run second inning that put the visitors in front for good. The right fielder additionally contributed an RBI single and scored as part of a five-run sixth inning that gave the Aztecs an insurmountable 13-5 lead after the Tritons narrowed the gap to 8-5.
For the season, Fein ranks third in the Mountain West with a .529 batting average, which is best among conference players who have competed in at least six games thus far. He also leads the MW with 18 hits; shares the top spot with teammate Brian Leonhardt with 14 RBIs, and is one of seven conference players with three doubles. In addition, Fein finds himself among the league leaders in runs scored (4th – 10), slugging percentage (7th – .706) and on-base percentage (7th – .528), topping the MW in the latter two categories among players with at least six games under their belts.
Fein was named MW Co-Freshman of the Year in 2019 to go with Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball magazine. Prior to the 2021 campaign, he was selected to the preseason all-MW and was tabbed as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year by Baseball America.
San Diego State opens Mountain West play this weekend when it plays host to Fresno State in a three-game series, March 6-7, at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs and Bulldogs will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a single game on Sunday.