UC Irvine freshman Connor Spencer and Long Beach State senior Shawn Stuart captured Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as the catalysts for their team's success.
Spencer Hits .533 As UC Irvine Opens Up League Play 3-0
Connor Spencer (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Tesoro HS) led UC Irvine to a series sweep of conference foe Pacific and batted .533 in four games to earn the Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week award.
Spencer had eight hits in 15 at bats as the Anteaters posted a 3-1 record for the week. He had multiple hits in three of the four games.
After a 2-for-4 performance in a non-conference loss to USC on Tuesday, Spencer tripled and scored in the series opener against Pacific. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI in that game as UCI came back late for a 5-4 victory.
Spencer added a hit in Saturday’s 7-4 triumph and saved his best effort for Sunday’s finale in a 6-0 whitewash of the Tigers. In that game, Spencer was 3-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI and his team-leading fifth triple. He had a run scoring single in the first inning that helped stake the Anteaters to a 3-0 lead.
The freshman slugged .800 for the week and increased his overall batting average to .426 on the year.
Others nominated: Carlos Lopez (Cal State Fullerton); Nathan Ring (Cal State Northridge); Brennan Metzger (Long Beach State); Paul Politi (UC Davis); Greg Mahle (UC Santa Barbara); Jason Taasaas (Pacific)
Long Beach State's Stuart Tosses Complete Game Shutout Against Cal Poly
Shawn Stuart (Turlock, Calif./Merced CC) dazzled in the best performance of his Long Beach State career, tossing a one-hit shutout against Cal Poly to garner Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors.
The right-hander gave the 49ers their first shutout of the season and first complete game shutout since 2010 while becoming the program’s first player since Drew Carpenter in 2006 to toss a complete game one-hitter.
Stuart was phenomenal in the 4-0 victory against the Mustangs that clinched the series for LBSU. He walked one and struck out a season-high nine over 108 pitches and ended the 14-game hitting streak of Cal Poly’s Mike Miller in the process.
Others nominated: Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton); Jerry Keel (Cal State Northridge); Dayne Quist (UC Davis); Phillip Ferragamo (UC Irvine); Eddie Orozco (UC Riverside); Zak Edgington (UC Santa Barbara)