Andrew Allanson, CSU Bakersfield
Baseball Field Player of the Week
Rs. Freshman • Designated Hitter • Lancaster, Calif. |
- CSU Bakersfield redshirt freshman designated hitter Andrew Allanson announced himself in earnest to the college baseball world last Tuesday night by belting two grand slams, one from each side of the plate, in a narrow 10-9 loss to Pepperdine.
- Still in non-conference action over the weekend versus Utah Valley, the Lancaster product hit .571 (8-14) with two intentional walks, a home run in each of the first three games, five runs scored, his first collegiate triple, eight more RBI, and just one strikeout.
- Allanson’s eight RBI against the Waves are a single-game program record, as he is also the first Roadrunner to ever hit two grand slams in a single contest. The first was an opposite-field shot from the left side of the plate in the fifth, and the second sailed over the scoreboard in left batting right-handed in the ninth to pull his team within a run.
- In batting .556 (10-18) for the week, Allanson improved his season average from .246 to .313. He began last week with one home run and five RBI on the year, and now has six long balls and 21 RBI, both tied for second in the conference. The 16 RBI came over just 18 at-bats.
- Allanson is CSU Bakersfield’s second straight Big West Field Player of the Week, following Jashia Morrissey
Also nominated: Caden Connor (Cal State Fullerton), Blake FitzGerald (UC San Diego), Chase Luttrell (Long Beach State), Jordan Sprinkle (UC Santa Barbara), Justin Torres (UC Irvine), Bart West (CSUN)
Drew Thorpe, Cal Poly
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore • RHP • Washington, Utah |
- Right-hander Drew Thorpe struck out 15 batters and scattered three hits over seven innings while combining with Jason Franks on a 7-0 shutout on Friday night that got Cal Poly off to a good start en route to a series win at UC San Diego.
- The 15 strikeouts were a new career high for the Utah native, as well as the most in a single game in The Big West this season, and tied for the fourth-best output nationally. Thorpe matched the school’s Division I record. His previous career high was 13 strikeouts, with this latest outing putting the third-year sophomore over 200 for his career, at 201.
- Thorpe continues to top The Big West with his 66 strikeouts over 42.1 innings, comfortably by 21, and with Friday’s performance, took over the national lead by one. He has reached double figures in five of six starts, going at least 5.1 frames in all six.
- Thorpe was also recognized Monday morning among 13 Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week, the first Big West student-athlete to be so honored by the publication in 2022.
- Thorpe is now a three-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, having been named on March 14 after his three-hit shutout over Harvard, and prior to that on Feb. 24, 2020.
Also nominated: Lucas Braun (CSUN), Noah Conlon (UC San Diego), Ryan Gallagher (UC Santa Barbara), Kellen O’Connor (CSU Bakersfield), Tyler Stultz (Cal State Fullerton), Troy Taylor (UC Irvine)
| 2022 Big West Weekly Award Winners |