Justin Childers (Ohio Dominican) Earns Week 8 Spotlight Player of the Week Honors Highlighted by an Inside the Park Grand Slam Sunday
July 31st, 2017
ALBANY, N.Y. - In week eight of the season, Justin Childers (Ohio Dominican) hit .538 (7-13), knocked in seven runners, scored five runs, swiped two bags, increased hit batting average by 40 points and has been named the Spotlight Player of the Week.
Following a 2016 summer with the Dutchmen where he hit .321 Childers has struggled for much of the 2017 campaign with the Dutchmen, suffering a high ankle sprain earlier in the season but has recently regained his form and says it took some time to regain his timing at the plate following the injury.
“The past week has been awesome, it’s been fun and I’m thankful that it’s kind of come around a little bit and I think it’s just you know being able to get back to an approach and just feeling really comfortable in the box and seeing the ball really well,” Childers said.
Childers began his hot week at the dish going 1-3 with two walks and a stolen base in Tuesday’s 4-2 over the Dragons.
On Friday the Pickerington, Ohio native went 1-4 with a run in the Dutchmen’s 8-0 win over the Stallions.
Childers erupted at the dish over the weekend beginning with 2-2 performance Saturday that included 2 RBIs, a run and a walk in Albany’s 5-4 win over Adirondack.
On Sunday the 2016 PGCBL All-League selection was unstoppable at the plate going 3-4 with an inside the park grand slam, a triple and a stolen base in the five RBI performance propelling Albany to a 14-2 win over Onondaga.
The Dutchmen were 4-1 on the week and did not lose when Childers was on the field, who finished the week with a .923 slugging percentage.
Although Childers struggled earlier in the season he is excited about the opportunity he and his teammates have to make a run in the PGCBL playoffs.
“It’s awesome that we have such a good team and I really do think that we have a shot at winning this thing,” Childers said. “We all just enjoy being around each other and I think it makes it easy to want to come to the park every day and win for each other.”
Off the field Childers has volunteered his time to the Challenger’s League, served as an older brother and mentor to the kids in his host family and knocked off multiple major league ballparks in his quest to visit every MLB stadium.
