Ando Tabbed Big Ten Player of the Week

Senior infielder hit .556 in helping MSU take series at No. 24 Iowa.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State senior infielder Royce Ando (Mississauga, Ont.) was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week for his performance the week of May 6-12.

Ando hit .556 (10-for-18) for the week with at least one hit in all five of MSU’s games last week, including multiple hits in three of the five games. He posted a .667 slugging percentage with eight singles and two doubles, along with a .636 on-base percentage and added five RBI.

This is Ando’s first Big Ten Player of the Week accolade to go with earning Academic All-Big Ten honors twice. Ando is the first Spartan to earn Big Ten Player of the Week award since former teammate, Dan Durkin earned the award on Feb. 20, 2017.

In the Spartans’ three games at No. 24 Iowa, Ando was 7-for-11 (.636), as MSU snapped Iowa’s six-series win streak, dealing the Hawkeyes their first home series loss of the season, spoiling their Senior Day and graduation weekend, as well as helping the Spartans to their first two wins over a ranked team this season. In Sunday’s series-clinching win, Ando had a two-out RBI in the seventh as MSU rallied from a 4-1 deficit after six innings with a five-run seventh inning, scoring all five runs with two outs. He added another RBI single in the ninth to cap the Spartans’ comeback and seal the Victory for MSU.

Last week’s performance boosted Ando’s average up to .312, which leads MSU and is tied for 11th in the B1G. Ando is also second on the team with 53 hits and 26 RBI and third on the team with nine doubles. He also tops the team with a .397 on-base percentage, sharing the team lead with 22 walks drawn. Sunday’s two-RBI outing was his team-leading eighth multi-RBI game this season.

MSU will then wrap up regular-season play hosting Illinois in a three-game series, opening Thursday, May 16, under the lights at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in a 5:30 p.m. first pitch, nationally televised on Big Ten Network. The second game of the series is set for Friday at 6:35 p.m., before Saturday’s series finale at 1:05 p.m.