FILE PHOTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore Jeff Van Houten picked up his second Pac-10 Player of the Week award of the year yesterday.

Van Houten earns Pac-10 award

Arizona sophomore Jeff Van Houten has been named the Pac-10 baseball Player of the Week. The honor is the second of the season for Van Houten and the fifth weekly award for an Arizona player/pitcher this season.

Van Houten garnered his second recognition of the year, and his career, for his 9-for-13 weekend against Miami (Ohio). The second-year starter batted .692 with two triples, his seventh home run of the season, five runs scored and a team-high eight RBIs. He posted a .714 on-base percentage and tallied a 1.231 slugging percentage in helping Arizona win its final non-conference series of the season. In Sunday's 9-4 win, he finished 3-for-4 with a career-high-tying six RBIs and needed just a double to hit for the cycle. He was recognized by the Pac-10 previously this season for the week of March 10-17.

The Player of the Week honor is 39th all-time for an Arizona player. UA's five weekly award winners this season (three pitchers, two players) are the most for a Wildcat team since the 1992 club also had five members (four pitchers, one player) recognized. Sean Rierson has been named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week twice and Richie Gardner has earned the award once. The 1991 Arizona team tallied a school-record eight Player/Pitcher of the Week honorees.

Hall of Fame to add new members at Sneaker Ball

The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame will become larger by eight individuals and three teams April 26.

The newest class was chosen by the selection committee in August. Former student-athletes become eligible for The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame induction five years after completing their athletics eligibility. Championship teams, or teams which contribute substantially to the University's Athletics heritage by attaining national prominence, are eligible immediately following the exemplary season.

Each year, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee, composed of administrators, faculty, staff and alumni, reviews the accomplishments of thousands of former student-athletes. The Committee's task is to identify those few who meet the qualifications for induction.

The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1976 with a charter membership of 22. With the inductees in 2002, membership is now 235 individuals and 23 teams.

The formal announcement comes later this month at the at the UA athletics department's annual "Sneaker Ball."