EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State right fielder Jimmy Pickens has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.

Pickens hit .500 (6-for-12), collected seven RBIs, and scored four times to help the Spartans to a road series win at Illinois over the weekend. Pickens also compiled a slugging percentage of 1.000 and had an OPS of 1.538 in the three games. It marked MSU’s first series win in Champaign, Ill., since 2003.

A West Bloomfield, Mich., native, Pickens went 3-for-5 in the series opener on Friday with a career-high six RBIs - the most by a Spartan in 2012 - including a two-run double in the fifth and a bases-clearing triple in the sixth that drove in three runs. Pickens also had an RBI single in MSU's four-run fourth inning.

Pickens went 1-for-3 with a run on Saturday, and collected two hits, including his team-leading sixth homer of the season, on Sunday.

For the season, Pickens has played in all 45 games, including 36 starts in right field. He owns a .262 batting average and in addition to leading the Spartans in home runs, he ranks among the team leaders in RBIs (second with 32), slugging percentage (third at .463), doubles (fourth with 12), total bases (fourth with 69) and runs scored (fifth with 26).

Michigan State (29-16, 10-8 Big Ten) returns to action Tuesday to face Western Michigan (20-24) in Kalamazoo, Mich., at 3 p.m.