Stripped of a home series last weekend due to the fires in Santa Barbara, the Gauchos hosted Long Beach State at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Ca. The change of venue didn’t seem to hinder UC Santa Barbara as it swept the 49ers with the help of Big West Pitcher of the Week Joe Gardner and Big West Player of the Week Matt Valaika. This is the first honor of the season for both players.

Gardner tossed one of the best outings of his collegiate career in the front-end of a Saturday doubleheader. The Fremont, Calif., native threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Facing just three over the minimum, Gardner retired the final 13 batters he faced and 20 of the final 22 batters of the game. He is now 7-1 on the season with a 3.48 ERA.

Valaika blasted a .615 batting average in four UC Santa Barbara contests last week to lift the Gauchos to a 4-0 record. The junior infielder went 8-for-13 with six runs scored and nine RBI, while doubling in every game he played. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, where he was a perfect 4-for-4, Valaika recorded a career-high four RBI and four runs. He opened the week with a 2-for-4, one run and three RBI performance at Pepperdine.

Other pitchers nominated: Mason Radeke (Cal Poly), Tom Briner (UC Davis), Eric Pettis (UC Irvine), Hunter Carnevale (Pacific)
Other players nominated: Adam Buschini (Cal Poly), Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton), Ryan Scoma (UC Davis), Eric Deragisch (UC Irvine)