Cal Poly sophomore David Armendariz accounted for a couple of game-winning RBI's and UC Riverside sophomore Dylan Stuart threw a masterpiece against first place Cal State Fullerton, earning the duo Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Armendariz Helps Cal Poly To First 4-0 Week Of Season
David Armendariz (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame HS) helped Cal Poly to its first 4-0 week of the season by driving in two game-winning runs to claim the Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week award.
Armendariz showed productivity in all aspects as he posted a .600 average (6-for-10), .643 on base percentage and .900 slugging percentage for the Mustangs, who pinned a sweep on rival UC Santa Barbara.
The sophomore began the week as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 6-2 win at Cal State Bakersfield. He laid down a safety squeeze bunt in his first plate appearance and later had an RBI single.
Against the Gauchos, Armendariz scored and drove in the game-winning run as his solo home run in the second inning put the Mustangs on top, 2-0, in an eventual 5-1 victory on Friday. He also walked twice in the game.
Armendariz went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in Saturday’s 15-5 romp, and closed out the sweep of UCSB with a 3-for-4 effort on Sunday. He knocked in a pair of runs, including the game-winner in the eighth inning with an RBI single up the middle. The left fielder also had a sacrifice fly helped the Mustangs take the 9-8 victory.
Armendariz also stole four bases in five attempts as well as walking three times, putting down a pair of sac bunts and notching the sacrifice fly.
Others nominated: Steven Keller (Cal State Northridge); Johnny Bekakis (Long Beach State); Paul Politi (UC Davis); Tommy Reyes (UC Irvine); Brett Vertigan (UC Santa Barbara); Josh Simms (Pacific)
Stuart Hurls Six-Hit Shutout Against No. 8 Cal State Fullerton
UC Riverside’s Dylan Stuart (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly HS) tossed a six-hit shutout against No. 8 Cal State Fullerton to collect Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week accolades.
Stuart helped the Highlanders to their first series victory against Cal State Fullerton since 2007 and put in a yeoman’s effort against the league-leading Titans, throwing 128 pitches in the 1-0 triumph.
The southpaw scattered the six hits while walking two and striking out two as the Highlanders notched their third win over a top 25 opponent this year. Stuart notched his team-high seventh win of the year, and improved upon a string of success in which he has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, a span of 24.0 innings.
Others nominated: Joey Wagman (Cal Poly); Shawn Stuart (Long Beach State); Tom Briner (UC Davis); Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine); Mike Hager (Pacific)