DENVER - NM State's Daniel Johnson and Sacramento State's Sam Long have been named Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for March 21 - March 27.
Johnson, a junior outfielder from Vallejo, Calif. (Jesse Bethel HS/Northeast Oklahoma A&M), helped lead the Aggies to the WAC-opening sweep over Chicago State, going 7-for-13 with five runs scored. His best game came in the series finale, going 3-for-4 with a home run as the Aggies won 8-2. He also stole three bases and leads the WAC in stolen bases with 14 in 15 attempts. This is the second honor of the year for Johnson, who earned player of the week recognition following the opening weekend of the season.
Long, a junior right-hander from Sacramento, Calif. (Del Campo HS), allowed just four singles and two walks over seven innings to come up on the winning end of a pitchers' duel on Friday against North Dakota. The WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year struck out seven batters and faced just 25 hitters to earn his second win of the season.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees: Grand Canyon outfielder Thomas Lerouge had two game-winning RBIs against UNLC and Utah Valley … North Dakota outfielder Miles Lewis went 5-for-12 in the three game series at Sacramento State … Northern Colorado infielder Dean Lawson was 3-for-4 in the Bears lone game of the week, a win against Regis … Sacramento State designated hitter Matt Smith hit .385 and has recorded a hit in each of the first 16 games of his collegiate career … Seattle U outfielder Max Modeste hit his first career home run in walk-off fashion on Saturday against CSU Bakersfield … UT Rio Grande Valley's Cole Loncar went 3-for-5 with two runs scored as the Vaqueros knocked off Texas State, 4-3, in extra innings … Utah Valley outfielder Mark Kruger hit .353 as the Wolverines went 2-2 in Arizona, including a series win at Grand Canyon.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees: Grand Canyon's Cameron Brendel went eight innings in his first start of the season before leaving with the no-decision in an extra-inning win against Utah Valley … Seattle U's Austin Hansen earned his second career save on Friday and his first career win on Saturday as the Redhawks swept CSU Bakersfield … UT Rio Grande Valley's Robert Quinonez went 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing just six hits, in an eventual 4-3 extra-inning win over Texas State … Utah Valley's Jake Meyer earned his first career save in series-clinching win at preseason favorite Grand Canyon.