Cal State Fullerton sophomore J.D. Davis and UC Irvine junior Matt Whitehouse impressed in their season debuts to garner Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.
Davis Drives In 11 For Titans In 4-0 Week
Sophomore J.D. Davis (Elk Grove, Calif./Elk Grove HS) helped Cal State Fullerton win four straight to open the 2013 season, batting .438 with 11 RBI to claim Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week accolades.
Davis led the team in hits (7) and RBI while posting an .875 slugging percentage as CSF defeated USC, Nebraska twice and Cal State Bakersfield. He had a double and two home runs to go along with a pair of walks in a very productive week.
The designated hitter exhausted Nebraska pitching in Saturday's 10-5 and 9-0 doubleheader sweep. He went 2-for-5 with three RBI and the game-winning run scored in game one, fueling the Titans' three-run seventh inning with an RBI single that tied the game. Davis later came around to score for what proved to the game-winning run.
The Titans jumped all over the Huskers early in game two as Davis laced a two-run single in the first. He finished the game with a 3-for-4 effort, scoring twice and driving in a pair, including the game-winner.
Closing out the week at Cal State Bakersfield in an 8-2 triumph, Davis launched two bombs and drove in six runs. He became the first Titan to hit two round trippers in a game since Nick Ramirez in 2011. Davis struck early again with a two-out, two-run homer in the first inning, and put the game out of reach with a fifth inning grand slam over the center field wall.
Others nominated: Chris Hoo (Cal Poly); Miles Williams (Cal State Northridge); Nick Lynch (UC Davis); Dominique Taylor (UC Irvine); Andre Real (Hawaii)
Whitehouse Makes Triumphant Return In Win Against No. 23 Baylor
Matt Whitehouse (Diamond Bar, Calif./Damien HS), who utilized a medical redshirt year in 2012, made his 2013 season debut a stellar one as the UC Irvine junior defeated No. 23 Baylor for Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors.
The 6-1 southpaw showed no ill effects from a one-year hiatus as he tossed 6.1 scoreless innings in the 5-0 shutout of the Bears. Whitehouse yielded just two hits and walked one while striking out six batters.
Whitehouse's 84-pitch effort gave UCI its second straight victory in the series and the program's first series win against Baylor since 2004. The Anteaters eventually went on to the series sweep.
Others nominated: Matt Imhof (Cal Poly); Justin Garza (Cal State Fullerton); Jerry Keel (Cal State Northridge); Spencer Koopmans (UC Davis); Austin Pettibone (UC Santa Barbara); Michael Benson (Pacific)