Thomas McCaffrey Award Field Player of the Week Week Of 4/25/2022 Sport Baseball School UC Irvine Year Sophomore Position Catcher Hometown Santa Monica, Calif. High School Harvard-Westlake HS UC Irvine sophomore catcher Thomas McCaffrey batted .583 (7-for-12) with four runs, one double, three home runs, eight RBI and three walks during a 2-1 series loss in Manhattan, Kan., to the Big 12’s Kansas State over the weekend. He slugged 1.417 with a .667 on-base percentage, and handled all 25 defensive chances cleanly behind the plate, throwing out one of two runners who attempted to steal on him. McCaffrey’s three home runs, to give him five on the season, came over four at-bats on Friday and Saturday. The haul included his first collegiate two-home-run effort in the latter contest, which ended in a 16-7 victory for the ‘Eaters. The Santa Monica native produced single-game career highs of four hits and six RBI in that one, and was then walked intentionally for the first time as a collegian, twice, in Sunday’s finale. McCaffrey’s first home run on Saturday was a two-out, three-run shot to left center that opened the scoring in the first. He added a two-out, two-run, opposite-field double in the very next frame, and a solo blast to left in the fourth. McCaffrey’s Friday home run was a solo job to left on a 1-2 pitch in his final at-bat of a 13-8 loss. He thus had three home runs, a double and seven RBI over those four plate appearances. Earlier last week on Monday, April 18, McCaffrey was one of three Big West backstops named to the watch list for the Buster Poster Award, given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher. This is McCaffrey’s first career weekly award. He is the second ‘Eater to be named Big West Field Player of the Week, after fellow underclassman Dub Gleed on April 11.