In one of the most dominant weeks for a player this year, First baseman Kevin Bushnell was awarded the Northern League Player of the Week (June 26- July 2). Bushnell is the first Panther and the fifth player overall to win this weekly award.

“I have definitely had streaks where I have hit well, but this past week, I really felt that I have found something that’s going to take my game to the next level.”

There are not many players that have had the week Bushnell had at any level of baseball. In 13 at-bats, Bushnell had nine hits. Good enough for a .692 batting average. Four of the nine hits were for extra bases including a triple against the Elkhart County Miracle. Bushnell went 3-4 that game with an RBI. 

Bushnell walked once and did not strike out to increase his OBP. for the week to .714. He had a team leading 6 RBI’s and had a 1.077 slugging percentage. Bushnell was perfect in the field and was even 4-4 in stolen bases. 

Even with this ridiculous run, Bushnell is still looking for ways to get better and grow as a baseball player. 

“It feels rewarding to win this award because of all the time I put into this game, but I understand that there are parts of my game that still need improvement.”

It is also worth noting that Bushnell won this award unanimously. Only two other players won the award in that fashion. Some may think that factor might have some additional significance because no one even came close to your level of production. Bushnell humbly disagreed.

“I don’t feel that there really is added significance. As a player and teammate I hold myself to a high standard. My goal is to be the most complete person that I could be on and off the field and let the results speak for themselves.”

It was only a matter of time until Bushnell claimed this award. He leads the team in almost every offensive category. As of July 4, Kevin Bushnell is hitting .377 with three homers and 14 RBIs. Bushnell also has a very impressive OBP. at .451 as well as a .639 slugging percentage. Bushnell said this award helped his confidence, but that was never a major problem with the way he has been performing. 

“From a confidence standpoint, it obviously helps that I’m seeing the ball well right now, but no matter how I am playing at the time I have all the confidence in the world in myself to perform at a high level. I believe if you don’t believe in yourself, you have no chance to succeed in this game.”