WKU Baseball junior Justin Carlin earned Conference USA Hitter of the Week honors after his 12-RBI performance in WKU’s weekend sweep of Marshall, the league announced on Monday.

Carlin became the third Hilltopper to earn the honor this season, joining teammates sophomore Jackson Gray and senior Ray Zuberer III.

Carlin slashed .500/.550/1.125 during WKU’s four-game sweep of the Thundering Herd while collecting 12 RBI and hitting three home runs. The junior also put up two steals and a double.

Carlin’s three home runs all came during the Hilltoppers’ 15-5 victory on May 1 in game three of the series. The junior went 4-5 at the plate, driving in eight runs and hitting a grand slam during the Hilltoppers’ 10-run seventh inning. 

It was the second time since 2005 that a Hilltopper had hit three home runs and eight RBI in a single game. The last player to do so was Jake Sanford, C-USA’s only triple crown winner, when he accomplished the feat in a 12-9 victory against Eastern Kentucky University on March 26, 2019.

Carlin (.416) currently leads C-USA in batting average against conference opponents and ranks second in slugging percentage (.766).

Baseball beat reporter Wyatt Sparkman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Wyatt on Twitter at @WyattSparkman3