Juaron Watts-Brown Award Pitcher of the Week Week Of 5/9/2022 Sport Baseball School Long Beach State Year Position Hometown Hanford, Calif. High School Hanford HS Juaron Watts-Brown was the unanimous choice for Big West Pitcher of the Week after twirling the league’s first no-hitter since 2018 Sunday against UC Riverside on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Dirtbags won their fourth straight, 4-0, to complete the series sweep. The redshirt freshman right-hander struck out a season-best 16, the highest single-game total in The Big West in 2022, eclipsing Cal Poly ace and league strikeout leader Drew Thorpe’s 15 from March 25. The total ranks in a four-way tie for third across Division I, and is one shy of Dirtbag great and three-time Major League Baseball All-Star Jered Weaver’s program record. Watts-Brown’s no-hitter was just the second in the storied history of the Dirtbag program, and the first of the complete-game variety, with the other one a combined no-no by freshmen Chris Mathewson (7.0 IP) and Darren McCaughan, also in a 4-0 Sunday home win on March 1, 2015, against Wichita State. It was the 19th no-hitter in The Big West history, and 13th in a nine-inning contest. Watts-Brown faced one over the minimum, just a two-out walk in the fourth away from a perfect game in his 114-pitch masterpiece. He retired the first 11 in a row, and the final 16 from there, striking out the side in the third. The Hanford native had at least one punch-out in every frame. The 9.0 innings in his first collegiate complete game marked a season high for Watts-Brown. He produced double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season, now coming in consecutive Sunday starts. Watts-Brown’s previous season bests were 7.0 frames, and the 10 punch-outs from a May 1 home loss to UC Irvine. Watts-Brown improved his win-loss record to 2-4 and lowered his season ERA from 4.86 to 4.07. His other winning decision came in a four-inning relief stint at Cal Poly on April 9. Interestingly enough, Watts-Brown was perfect except for one walk that afternoon. Earlier Monday, Watts-Brown was named among nine Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week. He is the third Big West student-athlete to be so honored this season. His was the first complete-game shutout by a Dirtbag freshman since 2002. Watts-Brown is a first-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, and he goes back-to-back with fellow Dirtbag Marques Johnson. A third LBSU right-hander, Luis Ramirez, is a two-time selection (Feb. 21 and March 21) this year, with two field players also recognized.