Jakob Simons, CSUN  Baseball Field Player of the Week  Junior • Centerfielder • Pleasanton, Calif.

• Jakob Simons slashed .417/.462/.833 in leading third-place CSUN to a key road series win at fourth-place Long Beach State and nabbed a first Big West Field Player of the Week selection.
• Simons moved from the leadoff spot in the order to the No. 3 position and went 5-for-12 at the plate with three runs scored, two doubles, one home run, seven RBI and one walk.
• The second-year Chabot College transfer bookended a pair of two-hit efforts against the Dirtbags, going 2-for-4 on Friday with two runs, a home run, one walk and four RBI, and the same in Sunday’s finale with one run and an RBI double. Simons’ two-run double in the fifth inning on Saturday gave the Matadors a 3-0 cushion and was the difference in a series-clinching 3-2 triumph.
• Simons’ lone long ball of the weekend was a fifth-inning grand slam in Friday’s 12-6 victory. It was a league-leading 10th home run at the time for the Pleasanton product, who is now tied for second in that category, and is also second in RBI (36) and slugging (.739). Simons leads The Big West in both OPS (1.216) and stolen bases (10-10).
• Simons started all three games in center field and made 12 clean putouts without an error.
• Simons is CSUN’s second Big West Field Player of the Week for 2023, after Graysen Tarlow earned the first honor of the year back on Feb. 20.

Also Nominated:  Brandon Larson (UC San Diego); Anthony Martinez (UC Irvine); Rocco Peppi (Long Beach State); Jacob Ruley (CSU Bakersfield); Jared Sundstrom (UC Santa Barbara); James Williams (UC Davis); Matt Wong (Hawai’i)

Fynn Chester, Cal State Fullerton  Baseball Pitcher of the Week  Senior • Right-Handed Pitcher • Victoria, B.C., Canada

• Fynn Chester allowed just one unearned run on five hits while striking out eight batters in 8.0 innings pitched in Cal State Fullerton’s 13-1 victory at UC Riverside on Saturday night, earning a second career Big West Pitcher of the Week award.
• All five hits against Chester were singles in a second straight quality start after 10 relief outings. The Canadian did not issue a walk in the contest while throwing 94 pitches, and improved to 5-0 on the season. Seven of the eight strikeouts were of the swinging variety.
• The second-year Titan who transferred in from Salt Lake Community College turned in three perfect frames, in the second, third and fourth. Chester retired 10 Highlanders in a row between a two-out single in the first and a leadoff infield error in the fifth. With Fullerton up just 5-1 and runners at second and third, the senior right-hander got out of that fifth with a swinging strikeout and first-pitch groundout.
• Cal State Fullerton went on to sweep the three-game series in Riverside to grab hold of sole possession of first place in The Big West standings.
• Chester’s first Big West Pitcher of the Week nod came late last season on May 23. Tyler Stultz was an earlier recipient this year on March 20.

Also Nominated: Thomas Bainton (CSUN); Danny Carrion (UC Davis); Harry Gustin (Hawai’i); Jacob Gutierrez (CSU Bakersfield); Michael Mitchell (UC San Diego); Kellan Montgomery (Long Beach State); Nick Pinto (UC Irvine)
 

2023 Big West Baseball Weekly Winners