Destin Hood "excited" to gain Batter of Week honor in Carolina League

The Potomac Nationals' offense is starting to get on a roll, and evidence of that came down this week with outfielder Destin Hood being honored as Batter of the Week in the Single-A Carolina League for the period of May 16-22. In the last seven games, Hood hit .448 (13-for-29) with nine extra-base hits (seven doubles, triple, home run) and 10 RBI. Hood connected on five straight multi-hit games and in three of the games, he had at least three hits. During the stretch, Hood had an amazing five consecutive multi-RBI contests. "I have been getting consistent at the plate and making mental adjustments better," Hood said. "Right now, I am squaring up the fastball and getting good swings. "I concentrate on fastballs and don't tend to look for the breaking stuff. I am just trying to get better each game. I am working on locking in on every pitch. In 41 games overall, the 21-year-old is hitting .287 with a league-leading 16 doubles, two triples, three homers, 26 RBIs and five steals. Hood says his goal is to remain consistent for the entire season, and not just go through hot streaks. "At the end of the season, I want to feel like I have made some accomplishments and not feel like I just went through the motions," Hood said. The outfielder, who played shortstop in high school, passed up on a scholarship offer to play football at the University of Alabama. Hood said he signed with the Nationals because he "just loves baseball more". The P-Nats have followed suit recently, heating up at the plate. Hood said he felt the offense was bound to get going sooner rather than later. "We all played together last year, so we know what to expect from each other," Hood said. "When we got off to a slow start offensively, there was no big panic. We know what we can do."