Blake Klassen Award Field Player of the Week Week Of 5/2/2022 Sport Baseball School UC Santa Barbara Year Junior Position Designated Hitter Hometown Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif. High School Blake Klassen led now-25th-ranked UC Santa Barbara to a huge sweep at previously-second-placed Cal Poly over the weekend as the Gauchos have now built a six-game cushion atop The Big West standings. For the week, which began with a 13-7 loss at USC on Tuesday night, Klassen batted .500 (9-for-18) and slugged 1.000 with six runs, a double, triple, two home runs, five RBI, two walks and a steal. The first-year Gaucho who was at Arizona in 2020 and Eastern Oklahoma State College in 2021, had multiple hits in all three meetings with Cal Poly. Klassen went 3-for-6 with two home runs, three runs, four RBI and a stolen base in Friday night’s series-opening 10-7 triumph in 11 innings. It was his second game this season with two home runs and four RBI. His RBI single opened the scoring in the second, with his second long ball, a solo effort to lead off the 11th, accounting for the winning tally. Klassen singled to open the ninth and came around to score what would prove to be the winning run as the Gauchos broke a 3-3 tie with a four-run frame and completed the sweep Sunday. Eight of Klassen’s nine home runs and 13 of his 19 RBI came over a 10-game span from April 10-29. UCSB (30-10, 19-2 Big West) has still yet to lose a series all year, with four consecutive Big West sweeps. Klassen is a first-time Big West Field Player of the Week, and the first Gaucho chosen in 2022. He has had two teammates, Cory Lewis (Feb. 28) and Ryan Gallagher (April 11), picked for the pitcher award. Klassen is UCSB’s first field honoree since current teammate Broc Mortensen on March 22, 2021.