DENVER – Hawai‘i third baseman Collin Bennett and Nevada pitcher Bradey Shipley have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 9-15.
Bennett, a senior from Bellevue, Wash. (Newport HS), hit .667 (8-for-12) with four runs scored, a double, a triple, six RBI and one walk as the Rainbows went 2-2 against Saint Mary’s. Bennett had a career-high four RBI with a triple and a run scored in a game two victory against the Gaels. He also had a game-tying two-RBI hit in the final inning against Saint Mary’s in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader. In his four games last week, Bennett had 11 total bases and recorded a .917 slugging percentage. He also registered a .714 on base percentage.
Shipley, a sophomore from Medford, Ore. (North Medford HS), pitched eight shutout innings to earn his sixth win of the season as the Pack defeated Louisiana Tech 3-2 on Friday. The eight innings are a career high in which he struck out five and walked two. Shipley did not allow a hit in his last four innings on the mound. All three hits allowed were singles and came in the first four innings of the game. No LA Tech hitter reached third base when Shipley was on the mound.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State senior Patrick Hutcheson … Louisiana Tech freshman outfielder Bre’shon Kimbell … Nevada sophomore outfielder Thomas Niebergall … New Mexico State senior shortstop Zach Voight … Sacramento State freshman shortstop Scotty Burcham … San Jose State sophomore first baseman Matt Lopez.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Fresno State senior Thomas Harlan … Hawai‘i sophomore Jarrett Arakawa … Louisiana Tech junior Jamie Gilley … New Mexico State junior Adam Mott … Sacramento State junior Brandon Creel … San Jose State freshman Kalei Contrades.