Longhorn 1B Ivan Melendez Adds Yet Another Award to Impressive 2022 Mantle
If you follow college baseball at all then you have heard the name Ivan Melendez at some point so far during the 2022 season.
Following a fall in the 2021 MLB draft, where he saw himself drafted in the 18th round by the Miami Marlins, Melendez announced he would return for the 2022 season.
So far, the decision to return has looked to easily be the right call, as Melendez has been one of the hottest bats in all of college baseball, and the most important bat in a potent Texas lineup.
Melendez got off to a good start in the month of February, serving as a catalyst for a 9-0 Texas start in the month. However, the month of March would see Melendez put the college baseball world on notice, as it officially became the Month of Melendez instead.
Melendez, aptly nicknamed the Hispanic Titanic, produced a mind-boggling .473 average while slugging 1.054 over the 19 games in the month. The Hispanic Titanic also put his light tower power on full display, blasting 11 home runs in the month while driving in 29.
During March, he recorded a hit in all but two games, including 11-multiple hit games and nine multiple-RBI games, with a pair of multi-homer games.
After his scorching hot March, Melendez was named the Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Month for March, announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Monday.
On the season Melendez is batting .387 while leading the Longhorns in both home runs and RBI, with 13 and 40 respectively.
These numbers are even more impressive when you look at his 2021 season, which saw him hit 13 home runs and account for 51 RBI all season, both numbers that he should easily break by the end of this season, as Melendez is undoubtedly the most important bat in the Texas offense.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!