CollegeSportsMadness.com Big Ten All-Conference Teams
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue baseball's Kyle Wood claimed the first team triple crown by a Boilermaker hitter since 2007, earning the first baseman Second Team All-Conference honors from CollegeSportsMadness.com.
Wood was among the five infielders (which included two catchers) recognized on CSM's Second Team. He led the Boilermakers in batting average (.326), hits (63), doubles (13), home runs (6), RBI (34), on-base percentage (.421) and slugging percentage (.487) this season. He also struck out 13 of the 32 batters he faced over 5 2/3 innings of relief, leading the team in strikeouts per nine innings (20.6).
Wood played in all 54 games, making 51 of his 52 starts at first base. He batted third or fourth in the lineup in 42 of his 52 starts and reached base safely in 46 of the 53 games in which he batted.
The Orland Park, Illinois, native was selected as Purdue's first Big Ten Player of the Week since March 2013 after a monster series at Oklahoma in which he went 9-for-11 with seven RBI. He had 12 productive plate appearances in his 14 trips to the dish in Norman. The following weekend, he got the opportunity to square off against his younger brother Brad as the Boilers played a three-game series against Northern Illinois at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
Wood homered twice against both Oklahoma and Iowa along with going deep against IPFW and Michigan State. He hit safely in all three games of the series at Illinois for the third year in a row and homered at MSU's McLane Stadium for the second time as a Boilermaker.
Wood reached base safely in each of the first 10 Big Ten games and 20 of the 23 overall. He joined Ryne White (2007), Daniel Underwood (2003) and Nate Sickler (2001) as Purdue hitters to win a team triple crown under head coach Doug Schreiber (1999-present).
Wood is set to play for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League again this summer. He helped lead Lakeshore to the league title last year and will be teammates with Purdue's Gavin Downs this summer.
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