In an exciting week for the Bulldogs, senior catcher Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA) collected the University of Redlands' first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Baseball Athlete of the Week award for 2018. The Bulldog baseball standout joins first-year Brysl Libao (Redlands, CA) of the 11th-ranked Redlands men's tennis team as a fellow recipient of this weekly, sport-specific honor.

Aguilar provided a strong bat in the Bulldogs' first series-win over Chapman University since Head Coach Aaron Holley took over the helm in 2014. Aguilar hit .429 with six hits, including three doubles. He also scored four runs and supplied three RBI.

In Friday's contest against the Panthers, he launched two doubles and a sharp single for two RBI and two runs scored in the 10-4 victory.  Despite the Maroon and Gray's loss in game two, Aguilar did all he could from the dish by going 2-for-4 with yet another double while scoring one run in the tight, 4-5 loss. He helped his team in the quick turnaround for the game-three win with an RBI-single, which led to an early lead for Redlands.

Defensively, he was a brick wall behind the plate as the Maroon and Gray's starting catcher throughout the series. He provided 18 putouts and two assists with a perfect fielding percentage while allowing no stolen bases.

Redlands baseball (5-2, 2-1 SCIAC) travels to Whittier College on Friday, February 23, at 2:30 p.m. before returning home on Saturday, February 24, to face the Poets in a doubleheader at The Yard beginning at 11 a.m.

To view all of the SCIAC Athletes of the Week, please visit the SCIAC website.