NEW YORK – After a stellar weekend at the plate that included three home runs and seven RBI, catcher Jason Neff has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday (Feb. 24). It is the first Player of the Week award of his career.
 
Neff went 6-for-11 in three games against Winthrop, good for a .545 batting average. In addition to three home runs, he slugged two doubles and a triple over the course of the weekend.
 
On Friday (Feb. 21), Neff went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in the ninth inning and a two-run double in the seventh. However, Friday's performance was merely a precursor to Saturday (Feb. 22), where Neff set or tied multiple career-best totals. For the first time in his career, the West Palm Beach (Fla.) native hit two home runs in a single game while also tied career-highs in hits (4) and RBI (4).
 
Overall, Neff scored or drove in 13 of the Wildcats' 23 runs in their three games at Winthrop.
 
In addition to Neff, right-handed pitcher Bobby Olsen was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second straight week. Olsen continued to dominate against Winthrop on Friday, recording a season-high eight strikeouts in six innings. The South Carolina native only gave up three hits while improving to 1-0 on the season and leading the Wildcats to a 10-4 win his home state.
 
Up next, Villanova will face Coppin State in its home opener on Tuesday (Feb. 25) at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. The game will begin at 3 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on FloSports.