MSU's Celeste Wood Named Big Ten Player of the Week

Michigan State sophomore Celeste Wood (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Los Altos) has earned Big Ten Softball Player of the Week honors, as announced by the Conference office Monday.

Wood and the Spartans went 3-1 in the season-opening FAU Kickoff Classic, downing North Florida, Troy and NC State before falling to the host Owls in the finale.

The top returning hitter for the Spartans, Wood boasted a slugging percentage of 1.333 and a .556 (5-for-9) batting average over the first four games of the season. Wood walked three times and had three sacrifice flies, and had a triple and a home run among her five hits - those both came against NC State, as she delivered a walkoff, two-out two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to down the Wolfpack 6-4. Her eight RBI is third-highest total in the Big Ten last week, she was fourth in batting average, and her slugging percentage was the best of any player in the B1G.

In addition to her proficiency at the plate, she shared the Big Ten lead last week in pitching appearances (4), making appearances in the circle in all four games (3.1 innings pitched) without earning a decision.

Wood was an NFCA Third Team All-Region selection as a freshman in 2016, when she hit .372, good for 11th in the Big Ten, and 12th all-time in the MSU single-season record book. She was the top-hitting freshman in the B1G, totaling 61 hits, (14th B1G) and 40 RBI, which ranks 10th in a single-season at MSU.

Michigan State is back in action next weekend at the Eastern Michigan Madiera Beach Invitational. MSU will take on Villanova, UAB, North Dakota, Southern Illinois, and Robert Morris during the three-day tournament.

- MSU Athletic Communications