DENVER ?“ New Mexico State first baseman Luke Hopkins and Hawai'i left-handed pitcher Ian Harrington have been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 24-30.
Hopkins, a sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M. (St. Pius X HS), returned to action after missing 11 games due to a hamstring injury. He hit .444 (4-for-9) in the three-game sweep of then league-leading Louisiana Tech. He hit a solo home run in his second at-bat on Friday night and finished the series with five RBI, five walks (2 intentional) and three runs scored. It is Hopkins?™s fourth WAC Hitter of the Week award this year.
Harrington, a junior from Renton, Wash. (Bellevue CC), pitched a complete game in the Rainbows?™ 5-2 win over Sacramento State on Sunday. He allowed six hits, two runs (one earned), walked none and struck out three batters. The win completed a three-game sweep of the Hornets and moved Hawai'i into first-place in the WAC standings. It is Harrington?™s first career WAC Pitcher of the Week award and fourth for a Rainbow this year.
The other player of the week nominations were sophomore third baseman Beau Mills, Fresno State; senior first baseman Luis Avila, Hawai`i; and junior outfielder Ryan Angel, San Jose State.
The other pitcher of the week nominations were junior Andy Underwood, Fresno State; junior Jason Conner, New Mexico State; and junior Loren Moneypenny, San Jose State.