Brent Schaekel is the Taco Bell Athlete of the Week for the first time this spring after helping the baseball team sweep a three-game series against East Texas Baptist on the road last weekend. The Tornados rallied from six runs down to post a 13-6 comeback win over the Tigers on Friday, Feb. 25 before registering 4-1 and 5-4 victories in a doubleheader one day later.
Schaekel, a sophomore outfielder, batted .636 with seven hits and five RBI in the series. He also recorded a stolen base, scored two runs and did not commit an error defensively. In the team’s comeback victory to start the weekend, Schaekel went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. His two-run single in the fifth broke a 6-6 tie and gave his team the lead for good. Schaekel went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the Tornados' 4-1 win in the opener of Saturday’s twinbill before going 4-for-5 in the squad's 5-4 win in the nightcap.
A business major, Schaekel leads Concordia in several offensive categories among the regular starters, including batting average (.517), hits (15), stolen bases (4), triples (1) and on-base percentage (.563). He has also driven in nine runs while registering a .586 slugging percentage. Schaekel, who has not committed an error in the outfield in 10 appearances and nine starts, is the son of Joan and Bert Schaekel. He has two brothers, Kevin and John, and one sister, Deanna.
