Long Beach State junior Richard Prigatano and Cal Poly sophomore Casey Bloomquist helped their squads win two of three against nationally ranked foes, capturing Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week honors.
Prigatano Keys Series Victory Against No. 17 UCLA
Junior Richard Prigatano (Los Gatos, Calif./St. Francis HS) garnered Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week honors as he paced Long Beach State with six RBI in two series-clinching wins against No. 17 UCLA.
The outfielder batted 5-for-8 (.625) with all six of his RBI coming in the two wins against the Bruins. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Saturday’s 4-0 victory. On Sunday, Prigatano walked and scored another run to go along with a pair of hits in an 8-5 win.
For the week, Prigatano batted .400 (6-for-15) and had a .526 on-base percentage. It is the second straight week he has collected six RBI, and he now leads the team with 27 on the year. Prigatano also has reached base safely in each of the last 22 games.
Others nominated: Chris Hoo (Cal Poly); J.D. Davis (Cal State Fullerton); Kris Paulino (UC Irvine); Joe Chavez (UC Riverside); Kaeo Aliviado (Hawai‘i)
Bloomquist Extends Win Streak To Seven
Cal Poly sophomore Casey Bloomquist (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield Christian HS) notched Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings and earning the series-clinching victory against No. 13 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.
The 6-3 right-hander scattered five hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts, equalling the career high he set against Wagner three weeks ago. The 1-0 victory clinched the series for the Mustangs and left them in a first-place tie (5-1) with UC Irvine in the Big West standings. UCSB entered the game as the Big West leader in average (.312).
Bloomquist improved to 7-0 in seven starts this season. He lowered his ERA to 1.25 and opponents are hitting just .223 against him. He is 13-2 so far in two seasons with the Mustangs. For the season, Bloomquist has struck out 43 and walked just eight in 50.1 innings pitched.
Others nominated: Grahamm Wiest (Cal State Fullerton); John Salas (Cal State Northridge); Josh Frye (Long Beach State); Harry Stanwyck (UC Davis); Andrew Morales (UC Irvine); Zach Varela (UC Riverside)