Helping their teams to crucial conference sweeps, UC Santa Barbara sophomore Andrew Calica and Cal State Fullerton junior Thomas Eshelman secured Big West Baseball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively.
Calica Presides Over Sweep Over No. 22 UC Irvine
Sophomore Andrew Calica (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake HS) helped UC Santa Barbara stay in contention for a conference title, pacing the offense in a sweep of No. 22 UC Irvine for Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week recognition.
The center fielder had a hit in all four of UCSB’s wins this week, as the Gauchos also stopped CSU Bakersfield, 8-7, in a midweek game.
Calica hit .385 (5-for-13) with four runs scored, and walked three times to finish with a .556 on base percentage for the week.
He went 2-for-3 with a double and scored twice in Friday’s series opener, a 10-5 Gaucho triumph. He reached base three times on a single and two walks in Saturday’s 3-2 victory, and added his fourth hit of the series to help seal the sweep in Sunday’s 6-5 win. Calica also made several outstanding defensive plays in the outfield to curtail additional UCI scoring opportunities.
UCSB achieved a program milestone in amassing a single-season record for wins (39) against Division I opponents. In addition, the Gauchos swept UCI for the first time since 1990.
Others nominated: Tommy Pluschkell (Cal Poly); Tyler Stieb (Cal State Fullerton); Nolan Bumstead (CSUN); Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State); Kaeo Aliviado (Hawai‘i)
Eshelman Records Shutout, Extends Scoreless Streak
Cal State Fullerton junior Thomas Eshelman (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) earned his third Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week award this season as he fired a complete-game five-hit shutout in a road stint against Hawai‘i.
The right-hander struck out 12 Rainbow Warrior batters to secure his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the year. He also did not issue a single walk for the ninth time in 14 starts.
Eshelman extended his scoreless innings streak to 24 and 2/3 going back to the ninth inning of his start against UC Irvine on April 24. In scattering five singles, Eshelman did not allow a UH runner to reach second base for the entire game as he registered his fourth complete game of the season.
The Titan ace lowered his ERA to a Big West-leading 1.62 and stretched his conference-leading strikeout total to 107.
Others nominated: Casey Bloomquist (Cal Poly); Jerry Keel (CSUN); Chris Mathewson (Long Beach State); Kyle Nelson (UC Santa Barbara)