DENVER – Texas-Pan American right fielder Alex Howe and right-hander Sam Street have been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for February 17-23.
Howe, a senior from Unanderra, Australia (Edmund Rice College), led the Broncs to a 3-1 record last week. Howe hit .733 (11-for-15) on the week with three runs, four RBI, one double, one triple, four stolen bases and a walk. Howe stood out in Sunday’s 9-3 win over Prairie View A&M, reaching base all four times. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, double, triple, two RBI, two runs scored and two steals. He tripled to start the game before scoring the Broncs’ first run. He also drove in the Broncs’ second run with a single in the second inning. Howe then doubled to drive in a run and then stole third so he could score on a groundout in the fourth inning. He reached base with a walk in the four-run fifth inning.
Street, a senior from Melbourne, Australia (St. Leonard’s College), pitched a complete game two-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over Northwestern State. Street struck out 11 while forcing 11 groundouts. He retired the first 11 batters and 26 of the first 27 batters he faced. Street threw 86 of his 130 pitches for strikes (66.2 percent). He had just three three-ball counts all night, and none in the first six and two thirds innings. The win marked Street’s ninth-career complete game and fourth career shutout.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Bakersfield junior center fielder Jordie Hein … Chicago State junior outfielder Jared Patterson … Grand Canyon junior infielder Chad De La Guerra … New Mexico State senior first baseman Kristoffer Kierper … Northern Colorado freshman outfielder Jake Ekman … Sacramento State senior outfielder David Del Grande … Seattle U freshman infielder Michael McCann … Utah Valley sophomore outfielder Craig Brinkerhoff.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Bakersfield freshman Steven Gee … Grand Canyon junior Jorge Perez … New Mexico State junior Billy Conrad … Northern Colorado senior Dan Talley … Sacramento State junior Ty Nichols … Seattle U senior Mac Acker … Utah Valley senior Andrew Freter.