Cal State Fullerton junior Carlos Lopez delivered a pair of game-winning RBI and UC Irvine sophomore Andrew Thurman hurled his third straight shutout to land the two Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively.
Lopez Knocks In Nine Runs As Titans Post 4-0 Week
Carlos Lopez (Northridge, Calif./Crespi HS) drove in nine runs, including a pair of game-winning RBI, to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 4-0 record and earn his first career Big West Field Player of the Week selection.
The junior hit .333 (5-for-15) with two doubles and a home run to pace the Titans, who beat USC and swept Pacific in a Big West series to reach the 30-win mark for the 38th straight season. Lopez also walked six times to record an on base percentage of .524 for the week.
Lopez walked three times and scored a run in the 4-2 triumph over USC, then hit safely in each of the three games against Pacific.
He knocked in a career-high tying six runs in a 21-4 romp on Saturday, punctuating his effort with his second career grand slam in the ninth. Lopez plated the game-winning runs early on in the first with a two-run single as the Titans were staked to a 2-0 lead.
In Sunday’s 10-0 shutout, Lopez struck for a pair of doubles in three at bats, scoring twice and driving in three runs as CSF notched its third series sweep of the season. He accounted for 14 of CSF’s 40 runs on the week.
Others nominated: Tim Wise (Cal Poly); Ryan Raslowsky (Cal State Northridge); Paul Politi (UC Davis); Christian Ramirez (UC Irvine)
Thurman Hurls Shutout Against UC Santa Barbara
Andrew Thurman (Orange, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) won his third Big West Pitcher of the Week award as the UC Irvine right-hander twirled a four-hit shutout against UC Santa Barbara.
It was the third straight complete game effort for Thurman, who lowered his ERA to 2.61 on the year. The sophomore joined Scott Gorgen (2006-08) as the only Anteaters to claim the hat trick in Pitcher of the Week awards.
Thurman silenced the Gaucho bats for the most part. He had the leadoff batter reach third in the first two innings but left both stranded. He recorded a key strikeout with two outs in the sixth and a pair of runners on base to preserve the shutout.
Thurman has allowed just two earned runs in his last 35 innings of work. The shutout is his second in the last three weeks after no-hitting Long Beach State two weeks ago.
Others nominated: Grahamm Wiest (Cal State Fullerton); Jerry Keel (Cal State Northridge); Craig Lanza (UC Davis); Kyle Crawford (Pacific)