FRISCO, Texas – Following a standout stretch of games in which he led the team to a huge weekend sweep, senior
Christian Smith-Johnson of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball program was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week for the voting period of April 20-26, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Smith-Johnson earned the award after putting together what was without a doubt his best series of the season so far, slashing .571/.571/1.000 for a 1.571 OPS with two home runs, eight RBIs, seven runs scored and three stolen bases and helping the Islanders win all three of their games against Incarnate Word on the road in San Antonio. He started the set by recording multiple hits and RBIs in the opener on Friday, going 2-5 while driving in two of the team's 14 runs on the day. He then picked up another three hits in his four at-bats during Saturday's game while scoring two runs, including what ended up being the game-winning run during the team's ninth-inning comeback against the Cardinals.
All of this led up to the best game of Smith-Johnson's four-year collegiate career in the finale on Sunday, where he went 3-5 with two home runs, six RBIs, four runs scored and two stolen bases in an 11-4 victory that secured the sweep for A&M-Corpus Christi. The North Richland Hills native kicked off the scoring in this contest with a two-run blast in the second inning, and he capped things off with a grand slam in the ninth to bust the game wide open. This game marked Smith-Johnson's first ever multi-homer performance, and it doubled his previous single-game high for runs batted in of three, which he had reached four separate times and most recently back on April 4, 2025 against Stephen F. Austin. He also became the first Islander to drive in six runs in a game in nearly two years, with the last being his former teammate
Chance Reisdorph on April 27, 2024 in a win at New Orleans.
The award marks the first weekly honor of Smith-Johnson's time in the blue and green, which dates back to his freshman campaign in 2023. He becomes the second Islander to win Hitter of the Week this season, joining
Cade Sanchez with his nod as the first of the year back on February 16. These two along with
Easten Smith and
Chase Mayer as Pitchers of the Week on February 23 and March 30 respectively give A&M-Corpus Christi four different weekly honors this season, joining Lamar and Northwestern State for the most in the conference in 2026. The team's four unique winners are also the most in the Southland, with no other school holding more than two.
"Christian had an amazing weekend for us," Islanders head coach
Scott Malone said. "He carried us on and off the field, and he did it on both sides. He had a great offensive weekend with some big home runs and RBIs, which gave the team great energy. He was also dynamic in center field, going to get balls and taking hits away from a good UIW team. He showed great leadership all weekend, keeping the guys up in the dugout. We will need Christian to stay hot for us to have a big finish to the season."
Smith-Johnson and the rest of the Islanders will now get back in action for a crucial stretch of games this week, first traveling to San Marcos for a midweek tilt against Texas State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before returning to Chapman Field for a three-game series against Houston Christian starting on Friday, whom they currently sit in a tie with for the eighth and final spot in the Southland Conference Baseball Championship.
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