DENVER - Grand Canyon's Humberto Aranda and Chicago State's Tyler Abbott have been named Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Apr. 20 - Apr. 26.
Aranda, a senior catcher from Yarnell, Ariz. (Prescott HS), hit .700 on the week as the Lopes took a WAC series at Utah Valley. He finished the three-game tilt 7-for-10 from the plate, including multiple-hits in all three games and four RBIs. In addition to his offensive prowess, he recorded 20 putouts and an assist behind the dish.
Abbott, a senior right-hander from Simi Valley, Calif. (Royal HS), captured his first win of the season by throwing a complete-game two-hitter in the WAC series finales against New Mexico State. He struck out 12 Aggie hitters and only allowed one hit after the second inning.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees: Chicago State's Mattingly Romanin had three home runs in a win over Roosevelt on Tuesday and finished the week 8-for-16 from the plate…Northern Colorado's Dan Reese was 8-for-17 on the week with three runs scored and two RBIs...North Dakota's Brett Marrison caught every inning for UND and played a big part in the series win over Sacramento State…Bakersfield's David Metzger hit .400 on the week as the Roadrunners took two of three from Seattle U…Texas-Pan American's Victor Garcia Jr. had a career-high five RBIs, three runs scored and two doubles at Prairie View A&M…Sacramento State's Scotty Burcham hit .476 and was 8-for-13 in the North Dakota series.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees: Northern Colorado's Justin Mulvaney earned a pair of wins in relief as the Bears earned a series win at Texas-Pan American…North Dakota's Zach Muckenhirn earned his first ever complete game win in Saturday's 10-0 win over Sacramento State…Bakersfield's Hayden Carter tossed his third consecutive complete game as Bakersfield defeated Seattle U, 5-0, on Friday…Seattle U's Tarik Skubal earned the win in Sunday's 4-0 win at Bakersfield after tossing an inning against Washington on Tuesday…Sacramento State's Brennan Leitao allowed just one run on two hits in six innings at North Dakota.