All-Time Big West Baseball Weekly Winners >>>

Field Player of the Week Nate Vargas, UC Santa Barbara | Senior • Catcher • Rocklin, Calif.

• UC Santa Barbara catcher Nate Vargas slashed .412/.444/1.059 with seven hits, three home runs, five RBI, five runs scored in four games to win The Big West Baseball Field Player of the Week award. It is Vargas’ first career weekly honor from the conference.


• The senior started the week with a 3-for-4 performance with one double, one home run, one RBI and two runs scored in a 5-1 home win over No. 14 USC, Tuesday night. 


• Vargas picked up another double and home run with two RBI and one run scored in Friday's series-opener against UC San Diego. 


• The Gaucho catcher from Rocklin, Calif. made it three consecutive games with a home run, including two RBI and two runs scored, in an 11-10 victory in 11 innings in game two against the Tritons on Saturday. 


• UC Santa Barbara took the series from UC San Diego and improved to 22-11 overall with an 10-5 league mark. On the season, Vargas has compiled four home runs, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored. 

Also Nominated: Evan Cloyd (Cal State Bakersfield), Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly), Landon Gaz (UC Irvine), Niko Lombardi (Cal State Fullerton), Jarren Sanderson (UC Riverside), Matthew Thomas (CSUN), Joey Wright (UC Davis), Ben Zeigler-Namoa (Hawai’i).

Pitcher of the Week Steele Murdock, UC San Diego | Redshirt Sophomore • Right-Handed Pitcher • Herriman, Utah

• UC San Diego starting pitcher Steele Murdock tossed a 17-strikeout game against UC Santa Barbara to earn The Big West Baseball Pitcher of the Week award. It is Murdock’s first career weekly honor from the conference.


• In Friday's series-opening 5-3 road win at UC Santa Barbara, the Triton righty scattered set the Tritons’ all-time single game record with 17 strikeouts in 8.0 innings against UC Santa Barbara. At the time, it was the most strikeouts in a single game for a pitcher in Division I this season. 


• Murdock allowed just four base runners, throwing 76-of-106 pitches for strikes, with no walks and allowed one run. The Herriman, Utah product retired 10 of the final 11 batters faced via strikeout, including striking out the side in the sixth and eighth innings.


• UC San Diego sits in first place in the conference standings with an 11-4 league record, 15-16 overall. Murdock is 4-1 this season with 68 strikeouts in 43.2 innings on the mound this season.

Also Nominated: Keenan Anzai (UC Davis), Shane McAlinden (Cal State Bakersfield), Sean McGrath (Cal Poly), Kellan Montgomery (UC Santa Barbara), Mikiah Negrete (Cal State Fullerton), Matthew O’Brien (UC Riverside), Hekili Robello (Hawai’i).