May 24, 2004

Colorado Springs, Col. - Tucson Sidewinders catcher Craig Ansman hit a grand slam home run in back-to-back contests to take the Pacific Coast League's Batter of the Week Award for games beginning on May 10th and continuing through May 16th. Sacramento River Cats starter Mike Wood earns Pitcher of the Week honors for the same period after he stymied the Omaha Royals on two hits while striking out 10.

Ansman, who splits time at catcher with teammate Juan Brito, made the most of his limited at-bats, driving in 10 runs in just three games. On May 11th, the Arizona Diamondbacks prospect went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI against Oklahoma. That performance was just a prelude to what Ansman, who hails from West Islip, New York, would accomplish on May 14th, when he went 2-for-3 with a grand-slam homer against the RedHawks. The next day, Ansman struck again with the bases loaded by belting his second slam in as many games, this one coming against the New Orleans Zephyrs. Throughout his 11 at-bats this week, Ansman has collected a .455 batting average and a 1.091 slugging percentage.

His 12 runs batted in since May 9 have helped Ansman raise his RBI total from 4 to 16 and marks an end to the catcher's early season struggles. "The last couple of weeks it has turned around," Ansman told Ken Brazzle of the Tucson Citizen. "I've been hitting the ball well the last three weeks. I feel real comfortable. I am not swinging at bad pitches like I was in the beginning. I am seeing the ball a lot better."