Athlete of the week: Lea Cavestany

Senior outfielder Lea Cavestany probably could have been named last week’s Daily Barometer Athlete of the Week after hitting a walk-off home run in the Beavers’ 1-0 win over San Jose State on Feb. 10.

This past weekend, she made it impossible not to honor her this week.

On OSU’s 5-0 trip to Las Vegas, Cavestany hit .562 (9-for-16), had a slugging percentage of 1.000, scored seven runs, drove in seven runs and hit two home runs.

Against BYU on Friday, Cavestany came up to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with runners on second and third and the Beavers down, 3-1. Cavestany drove the first pitch she saw out of the park for a go-ahead, three-run home run. The Beavers tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning and wound up winning 7-3.

The Pittsburg, Calif., native also added a solo home run — her third dinger of the season — in OSU’s 17-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday.

Through 11 games, Cavestany leads the team in runs scored (10) and is second on the team in average (.429), home runs (3) and RBIs (8). She trails only freshman first baseman Natalie Hampton in all three triple crown categories.

Cavestany has had an up-and-down collegiate career. As a freshman in 2010, she hit .350 and was second on the team in slugging percentage (.575), home runs (7) and RBIs (33). But she struggled as a sophomore, hitting .240 and collecting just 12 RBIs. Last year, she drove in 32 runs but still batted just .263.

If the first two weeks of the season are any indication, Cavestany is well on her way to a career year this spring.