UC Santa Barbara junior Brett Vertigan generated a key chunk of his team's scoring production and UC Irvine sophomore Andrew Thurman twirled the fifth no-hitter in school history as the Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Vertigan Amasses Three Game-Winning Runs In 4-0 Week
Brett Vertigan (Garden Grove, Calif./Saddleback JC) scored three game-winning runs and hit .563 to help UC Santa Barbara post a 4-0 record, earning the junior Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week.
Vertigan reached base in 14 of his 21 plate appearances on the week and scored a team-high eight runs from the leadoff position. He also had four stolen bases to generate extra scoring chances for the Gauchos.
He began the week going 3-for-5 with three runs scored in a 5-4, 12-inning win at USC. He singled in the ninth and was one of three runs in that stanza to tie the game and then scored the winning run in the 12th to topple the Trojans.
In a sweep of Pacific, Vertigan started the series with a 2-for-3 effort, scoring twice and swiping a pair of bases in a 6-5 win. He notched the game-winning run in Saturday’s 9-2 triumph and recorded his second three-hit performance of the week in Sunday’s 6-2 victory. He collected his third game-winning run of the week in the series finale.
Others nominated: Michael Lorenzen (Cal State Fullerton); Steven Keller (Cal State Northridge); David Andriese (UC Riverside)
Thurman Pitches Fifth No-Hitter In UC Irvine History
Andrew Thurman (Orange, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) tallied the fifth no-hitter in UC Irvine history to become the Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week.
The Anteaters no-hit Long Beach State in the opening game of a series for the second straight year behind Thurman’s brilliant pitching. The sophomore hit the first batter of the game and then gave up a walk with two outs in the eighth for the only blemishes of the game. Thurman retired 23 straight hitters in between and set down the last four hitters to achieve the first complete game of his career.
Thurman finished the game with five strikeouts and has now allowed just one hit in his last 17 innings on the mound.
Others nominated: Jacob Leyba (Cal State Northridge); Trevor Frank (UC Riverside)