DENVER Nevada third baseman Jason Rodriguez and pitcher Kyle Howe have been named the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 21-27.
Rodriguez, a senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Alta Loma HS/Riverside CC), hit .571 (9-for-14) with nine RBI, three doubles, a home run, and three walks as the Pack won three of four games against Fresno State. Rodriguez had multiple hits in three of the four contests. He began the series by driving in all three of Nevada’s runs with a two-run homer and an RBI single, going 2-for-3 in a 9-3 loss. In the first game on Saturday, he drove in the first run of the game with a ground out in the first inning, and later singled to go 1-for-3. In Saturday’s second game, he went 3-for-4 with two RBI. On Sunday, Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles that drove in three runs.
Howe, a senior from Poulsbo, Wash. (North Kitsup HS/Columbia Basin CC), pitched his third complete game of the season as Nevada defeated WAC leader Fresno State 4-1 on national television. Howe allowed just one run on seven singles and tied his season high with five strikeouts to improve to 6-1 on the season. He pitched six shutout innings before the Bulldogs scored their lone run of the game in the top of the seventh inning. The win ended an 11-game WAC win streak by Fresno State. The victory marks the second time this season that Howe has pitched the Wolf Pack to a complete game 4-1 victory over Fresno State.
The other hitter of the week nominations: Fresno State sophomore Alan Ahmady, Hawaii sophomore Vinnie Catricala, Louisiana Tech junior Kevin Winn, and New Mexico State senior Marcus Quade.
The other pitcher of the week nominations: Fresno State junior Tanner Scheppers, Hawaii junior Matt Daly, Louisiana Tech senior Alan Knotts, and New Mexico State junior Erik Nyquist.
