TicketSmarter WAC Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Announced
DENVER – NM State's Nick Gonzales and UT Rio Grande Valley's Kevin Stevens have been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 10 – Feb. 16.
Gonzales, a junior infielder from Vail, Ariz., picked up right where he left off last season, hitting .571 in a four-game series sweep over Texas Southern and stretching his on-base streak to 70 games dating back to the 2018 season. On opening night, he was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored in an 11-2 win over the Tigers. He combined to go 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, also drawing five walks, in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. He saved the best for last, going 3-for-5, all home runs, with nine RBIs on Sunday to give his 17 RBIs on the weekend.
Stevens, a junior right-hander from Tucson, Ariz., allowed just one baserunner over five no-hit innings to earn the opening night win over Kansas State. In his first appearance following Tommy John surgery, the walk-on made his first career start for the Vaqueros. He showed his worth, striking out nine batters and combining for UTRGV's first one-hitter since 2017.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees: California Baptist's Russell Stevenson went 3-for-4 on Saturday to help the Lancers earn a 5-1 win at Pacific … CSU Bakersfield's Jacen Roberson hit .636 in his first collegiate series as the 'Runners earned the series win over Washington State ... Grand Canyon's Drew Smith had a strong first weekend for the Lopes, putting up 11 RBIs and hitting .500 in a series win against 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State … Northern Colorado's Josh Glenn was 4-for-11 with two home runs and six RBIs as the Bears opened the season 2-2 in Lubbock ... Sacramento State's Matt Smith hit .364 on the week as the Hornets went 1-2 against a tough UC Santa Barbara squad … UT Rio Grande Valley's Andy Atwood was 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the Vaqueros' 5-0 win over Kansas State on opening night.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees: California Baptist's Bryan Pope allowed four hits with five strikeouts to earn a 5-1 win over Pacific … CSU Bakersfield's Davonte Butler earned the win on Sunday against Washington State, tossing five scoreless innings for the victory ... Grand Canyon's Kade Mechals was outstanding in his first start of the season, striking out eight and allowing one run on three hits over five innings to earn the win over 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State … NM State's Chance Hroch earned the win on Friday night against Texas Southern, allowing two runs on three hits over seven innings in an 11-2 victory … Northern Colorado's Isaac Bracken threw six shutout innings iwth nine strikeouts in a season-opening win over Houston Baptist ... Sacramento State's Scott Randall struck out five and allowed just four hits over six scoreless innings but took the no-decision in a 1-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara.