Kyle Mihaylo and Andy Suiter guided the UC Davis Aggies to a 3-1 week against No. 3 Stanford and No. 23 Long Beach State to earn Easton Big West Player/Pitcher of the Week accolades, for the week ending May 4. While this is the first honor of the season for both athletes, Suiter’s recognition marks the third straight week an Aggie has collected the pitcher of the week award.
Mihaylo tallied a team-high eights hits, three doubles, three RBI and 11 total bases. His .667 batting average (8-for-12), .917 slugging percentage and .692 on base percentage also led the Aggie squad. Against No. 3 Stanford, the sophomore had three hits and drove in the eventual-game winning run in the eighth inning. In the series against No. 23 Long Beach State, the Aliso Viejo, Calif., native blasted a lead-off double in a pinch hitting role in Friday night’s loss before leading UC Davis to a pair of wins over the weekend. On Sunday, Mihaylo finished a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a two-run double in the eighth that knotted the score at 2-2 and led to the eventual game-winning RBI. He also scored a run in Saturday's 5-4 victory.
Suiter was the winning pitcher in all three Aggie victories over the week. He earned the win against No. 3 Stanford and helped the Aggies win the final two games against No. 23 Long Beach State. During those games, he pitched 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, struck out seven and allowed only two hits. He came into all three contests with a deficit and did not allow a run to score to keep UC Davis in the game. In Saturday’s contest versus LBSU, the Woodside, Calif., native came on in the sixth inning and struck out a game-high five batters to keep the game within two runs. He got the final out of the sixth to strand two base runners and then struck out five batters over the next two innings. Suiter mirrored his performance on Sunday by not allowing a run and striking out a batter to record the final two outs of the eighth inning, setting the table for another Aggie rally.
Other pitchers nominated: Cory Abriso (CSF), Brian Grening (CP), Mario Hollands (UCSB), Joe Kelly (UCR), Andrew Liebel (LBSU), Bryce Stowell (UCI)
Other players nominated: Wes Dorrell (CP), Joey Gonzales (UCR), Erik Komatsu (CSF), Nick Longmire (PAC), Patrick Rose (UCSB)