Collin Villegas, Cal Poly  Baseball Field Player of the Week  Junior • Catcher/Outfiielder • Tustin, Calif.

• Collin Villegas hit .529 (9-for-17) with five doubles, a triple, six runs, 10 RBI and five walks (two intentional) to help lead Cal Poly to its first 5-0 week in eight years as the Mustangs swept a non-conference home stand. He also handled all 20 defensive chances cleanly behind the plate and in left field.
• Villegas totaled four two-RBI knocks during the week, providing a two-run, opposite-field double against Santa Clara on Tuesday night, a two-run triple in Friday night’s opener with Dixie State, a two-run go-ahead double that proved to be the winner in Saturday’s first game, and a two-run single to get the scoring started in the doubleheader nightcap.
• The junior from Tustin has lifted his season average exactly 100 points, from .216 to .316, by batting .410 (16-for-39) over his last 12 contests (11 straight starts) with nine doubles and 18 RBI. Conference co-leader Cal Poly (18-10) has taken 11 of those games, with a current season-long win streak of six in a row.
• Villegas, a second-year transfer, is Cal Poly’s second Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week this season, alongside Brooks Lee on March 7 and a trio of pitcher distinctions.
• Villegas was recognized Monday morning among 10 Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week. He becomes the second Big West student-athlete to be chosen by the publication this year after teammate Drew Thorpe a week ago on March 28.

Also nominated: Kyson Donahue (Hawai’i), Marc Filia (UC San Diego), Christian Kirtley (UC Santa Barbara), Jackson Lyon (Cal State Fullerton), Anthony Mata (UC Riverside), Nick Salas (CSU Bakersfield), Andrew Sojka (CSUN), James Williams III (UC Davis)

Noah Larkin, Cal Poly Baseball Pitcher of the Week  Freshman • LHP • Pacifica, Calif.

• True freshman left-hander Noah Larkin earned a pair of wins as Cal Poly went a perfect 5-0 during a non-conference home stand last week.
• Larkin first put together a five-inning stint in just his second collegiate starting assignment, a 15-6 victory over Santa Clara on Tuesday night. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three against the Broncos, who had entered with a 15-8 overall record.
• The product of Pacifica then threw a season-long 6.1 frames of shutout relief in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader sweep over Dixie State, as the Mustangs came from behind to take a narrow 6-4 decision. Larkin took over in the second with his team trailing 4-1, and gave up just three singles and a pair of walks while fanning three more.
• Larkin (2-1) lowered his season ERA from 6.48 down to 3.20. The 5-0 week was Cal Poly’s first in eight years. The Mustangs (18-10) have now won a season-high six in a row, and 11 of their last 12. They are co-leaders in The Big West.
• A first-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, Larkin is Cal Poly’s third honoree this season, with Drew Thorpe a two-time winner on March 14 and March 28.

Also nominated: Zach Ernisse (UC San Diego), Bryan Green (UC Davis), Diego Gutierrez (CSUN), Cory Lewis (UC Santa Barbara), Nick Pinto (UC Irvine), Tyler Stultz (Cal State Fullerton), Cody Tucker (CSU Bakersfield), Zach Voelker (Long Beach State)

2022 Big West Weekly Award Winners