May 10, 2011

Mountain West Baseball Weekly Press Release - May 10

MOUNTAIN WEST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
JOE WEIK SR., 1B, GRAPEVINE, TEXAS (TCU)
Weik batted .417 (5-for-12) while helping TCU hand No. 16 Oklahoma State its first three-game series loss at home this season. The Grapevine, Texas, native had at least one hit in all three contests, finishing with four RBI, three runs scored, two homers, one double, one walk and one stolen base for the series. Weik's best performance of the weekend came in the Horned Frogs' 10-3 victory on Saturday when he tallied his first multi-home run game of the season, blasting two shots over the fence as part of a 3-for-4, three-RBI, three-runs scored performance. In Sunday's series-clinching victory, he hit a double and drove in one run to aid the Frogs' 8-7, 10-inning triumph. For the series, Weik posted on-base and slugging percentages of .462 and 1.000, respectively. Defensively, he recorded 32 putouts without an error at first base.

TRAVIS FEINER, SR., 3B, LAS VEGAS, NEV. (UNLV)
Feiner went 4-for-9 (.444) with four RBI, three runs scored, two home runs and one walk as UNLV earned a series win on the road at Washington State. The product of Las Vegas, Nev., recorded at least one hit in all three games and also contributed a sacrifice fly and sacrifice bunt to the Rebels' offensive effort. In Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Cougars, Feiner nearly brought the Rebels back from a 4-1 deficit, hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to pull UNLV within one. His second homer of the series came during Sunday's 6-3 win as he hit a solo shot in the sixth inning that put the Rebels on top for good and gave them the series victory. Feiner finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored. For the series, Feiner compiled on-base and slugging percentages of .455 and 1.111, respectively. Defensively, he played error-free ball at third base, recording four putouts and six assists.

MOUNTAIN WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK
RUDY JARAMILLO, JR., LHP, CHANDLER, ARIZ. (NEW MEXICO)
Jaramillo pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout in New Mexico's 5-0 win over Air Force last Friday. The Chandler, Ariz., native tied a season-high with nine strikeouts in the contest, issuing only two walks while not allowing a Falcon runner past second base.

TCU RANKED IN NATIONAL POLLS
TCU, who became the first team in the 12-year history of the Mountain West Conference to earn a No. 1 preseason ranking, returned to the Top-10 of all four national polls after taking two of three from then-No. 16 Oklahoma State on the road last weekend. The Horned Frogs are ranked No. 8 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 9 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Both the Baseball America and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls have TCU listed at No. 10.

TCU PAIR NAMED QUARTERFINALISTS FOR CBHF AWARDS
The College Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the respective quarterfinalists for two of its top honors in 2011, and the Mountain West is represented on both lists. TCU junior Taylor Featherston is among 25 candidates for the Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation's top shortstop, while Horned Frog junior righthander Kyle Winkler is one of 25 nominees for the National Pitcher of the Year Award. Both awards will be presented in Lubbock, Texas, on July 3 as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions.

RECORDS WATCH

• Air Force's Nathan Carter his hit a league-high six triples in 2011. The senior outfielder holds the Mountain West record for career triples, currently at 32.

• TCU reliever Trent Appleby pitched in two games over the weekend during the Horned Frogs' series win at Oklahoma State. Appleby now has 89 career appearances, surpassing Tyler Lockwood's (2007-10) previous school record of 88. The Mountain West record for career appearances is 92, shared by three players. Horned Frog righthander Kyle Winkler is tied for the league lead with eight wins this season, putting his Mountain West-record career tally at 27.

• UNLV righhander Tanner Peters registered his eighth career complete game in a 4-1 win over Washington State last Friday. He enters this weekend's action one shy of the Mountain West record of nine career complete games, shared by Air Force's Matt Kaercher (2000-02) and New Mexico's Chris Cooper (2000-01). Peters has already tied the league record for career shutouts with four, matching San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg (2007-09).

• Utah reliever Tyler Wagner picked up his 10th save of 2011 in the Utes' 3-0 win over San Diego State last Friday, setting a new school single-season record. That also marked Wagner's 13th career save, breaking the previous Utah record of 12, held by Robert Chimpky (2008-09). Junior 1B C.J. Cron hit three home runs last week, giving him 45 for his career. He sits nine homers shy of the Mountain West all-time record of 54, set by BYU's Sean McNaughton (2005, 2008-10).