Peabody native and Bryant University junior infielder Jake Gustin was awarded for a stellar week on Tuesday, as he was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week for his part in helping lead the Bulldogs to four wins in the past seven days.
Gustin, who starred at Peabody High for four years before moving on to Bryant, led the NEC in batting average (.583) and slugging percentage (.917) during a five-game stretch — with Bryant winning four of those games. The Bulldogs are currently 14-9-1 on the season.
In 24 games so far this year, Gustin is hitting a stellar .400 with 11 doubles, five home runs, 26 RBI and seven stolen bases. With an on-base percentage of .456 and a slugging percentage of .660, Gustin has proven himself a dangerous hitter every step he steps in the box. And with only 11 strikeouts on the season, he’s one of the toughest outs in Bryant’s lineup.
Gustin’s hitting has been stellar since his high school days with the Tanners, when he hit .409 with 17 RBI as a junior and then won the Northeastern Conference batting title by hitting an incredible .529 with six doubles, four triples and three home runs. He was a two-time Lynn Invitational All-Star, a NEC co-MVP as a junior and a Perfect Game Second Team All-Northeast Region selection as a senior. His 102 career hits and .416 career average at Peabody are both eye-popping stats, but perhaps the most notable statistic is that Gustin only struck out five times total over his final two years of high school baseball.