Baseball: Urban named Big 12 Player of the Week

Tony Altobelli

Joe Urban, a Newport Harbor High product and a senior at Iowa State

University crammed a season’s worth of offensive accomplishments into a

17-game hitting streak which would make even the greatest of hitters

stand up and applaud.

Urban, who hit .227 (39 for 172) with 16 runs scored and 23 RBIs last

season, was struggling through another tough campaign in 2001. He went

hitless in his first 15 at-bats and had a .198 batting average (15 for

77) the first half of the season.

Then, all of a sudden, Urban completely turned his season and Cyclone

career around, thanks to 17-game hitting streak.

In that span, Urban batted .588 (40 for 68) with 19 runs scored and 18

RBIs, helping the Cyclones reach the Big-12 Tournament for the first and

last time in school history. Iowa State’s baseball program will be

disbanded following this season.

Only twice during the hitting streak did Urban not score a run or come

through with an RBI. He had four four-hit games, three three-run games

and three games with three or more RBIs.

Urban was named the Big 12 Conference’s Player of the Week for his

outstanding play last week. He went 12 for 20 with five doubles, one

triple, four RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.100.

Urban now leads the team with a .379 batting average. His slugging

percentage (.572), on-base percentage (.425) and doubles (15) also lead

the Cyclones. He’s also in the top five in runs scored (23), hits (55)

and RBIs (27).

“To be honest, we were getting a little concerned,” Urban’s father,

Joe Sr. said. “But, Joe hung in there and he never stopped believing in

himself. He taught me a lot during this period of his life about never

giving up. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”