Nick Pinto Award Pitcher of the Week Week Of 5/8/2023 Sport Baseball School UC Irvine Year Position Pitcher Hometown Coto de Caza, Calif. High School Tesoro HS Veteran arm Nick Pinto led surging UC Irvine to a series-clinching 6-1 victory in Sunday’s rubber game at home against Hawai’i to garner a third career Big West Pitcher of the Week honor. Pinto was perfect for 5.2 innings, retiring the first 17 Rainbow Warrior batters (nine on strikes) before a two-out single in the sixth which preceded a three-pitch punch-out. The fourth-year junior southpaw went a season-long 7.2 frames and fanned a season-high 11, allowing one run on three singles without a walk. Pinto improved to 5-2 on the year. The native of Coto de Caza’s previous bests for 2023 were 5.1 innings and nine strikeouts. Pinto’s career highs are 8.2 frames and 12 strikeouts, both from 2021. The 2019 graduate of Tesoro High School has now reached double-digit punch-outs three times as an ‘Eater. Pinto also tossed 1.1 scoreless frames in Tuesday’s 12-3 home rout of UCLA, entering with the bases full and two outs in the fourth and getting an infield lineout to protect a 4-2 edge. The Bruins began the fifth with a double and hit-by-pitch before Pinto induced an infield popout and inning-ending double play. Sunday’s result gave UC Irvine 30 overall wins, now at 30-14. The ‘Eaters sit alone in fifth in the latest Big West standings at 12-9, with a competitive RPI of 50. UCI has won its last three conference sets, and is a perfect 8-0 in 2023 against Pac-12 opposition, with home-and-home sweeps over both UCLA and USC, as well as an impressive early-season three-game road sweep of Arizona State. Pinto’s first two Big West Pitcher of the Week awards both came during the 2021 season, on March 22 and then on May 24. Teammate Michael Stanford has been the only other Anteater hurler recognized this year, back on March 6.