As expected, freshman Mitchell Tolman won Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.

Over the past week, he hit .474 (9-19), walked three times and drove in 14 runs in five games, two against Seattle and three against Washington State. All five games were on the road, with Oregon taking four of the five.

He reached base and collected an RBI in each of the five games with most coming at opportune moments, helping the Ducks ensure a victory. His most impressive performance came in the first game against Seattle last Tuesday, when he went 3-4, driving in seven runs. It was the most RBI in a single game since Jack Marder had eight on March 9, 2010.

While Tolman was rewarded for his effort with the award, Oregon head coach George Horton also deserves credit for sticking with the third baseman through some sloppy play. Less than two weeks ago Tolman tallied four errors in two games against UCLA, no doubt part of the reason Oregon went 1-2 in the series.

With the errors behind him, he has emerged as a crucial member of a team that is fighting for the Pac-12 title with state-rival Oregon State. If he can keep it up down the stretch of the season, he, along with Ryon Healy and Scott Heineman, could provide the much-needed offense for Oregon to challenge in the postseason.