Pac-12 announces final weekly baseball honors
May 26, 2014
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — STANFORD right-fielder Zach Hoffpauir has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week and UCLA right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian has been tabbed Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the final week of the regular season, May 19-25, the Conference office announced Monday.
Hoffpauir led the offense for the Cardinal, who went 4-0 over the week, including a home sweep against league-foe Utah to finish up the regular season over the weekend. The sophomore batted a team-best .529 (9-for-17) with seven RBI, one double, two home runs and three runs scored. The starting right-fielder also posted a .556 on-base percentage and a .941 slugging percentage while extending his streak of reaching base safely to 15 games. On Friday, he became just the third Pac-12 player in 2014 to register five hits in a game with a 5-for-5 day in a 5-0 win for Stanford. Hoffpauir capped the weekend by providing go-ahead home runs in both ends of the double header at Utah on Sunday. The Glendale, Ariz. native finished the regular season seventh in the Pac-12 in batting average, registering a .339 on the year.
This is Hoffpauir’s first-career Pac-12 Player of the Week honor and Stanford’s 71st all-time selection. He joins teammate Danny Diekroeger as the second Cardinal to earn the weekly honor in 2014.
Kaprielian, a sophomore from Tustin, Calif., wrapped up an impressive second year of collegiate baseball by leading UCLA to a 3-0 shutout win over No. 8 Washington on the road on Friday night. The right-hander gave up just four hits and no runs while striking out 11 over eight innings of work. In the game, he retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and logged double-digit strikeouts for the second-straight start and for the third time in last four starts. In those last four starts he posted a 1.72 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. Kapriellian finishes his sophomore campaign seventh in the Pac-12 in ERA with a 2.29 and first in batters struck out with 108. On the year, he allowed two runs or less in 11 of 15 starts and pitched seven innings or more eight times.
Kaprielian picks up his first-ever Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week nod and the 67th overall for the Bruins. He is the third UCLA pitcher to earn the weekly award in 2014 as teammates Cody Poteet and Grant Watson were honored earlier in the season.
Stanford, who earned a No. 3 seed in the Bloomington Regional hosted by Indiana, will begin postseason play on Friday as they take on No. 2 seed Indiana State at 11 a.m. on ESPN3. The Cardinal is making its 29th NCAA tournament appearance in the last 34 years. The Bruins finish the season 25-30 overall and 12-18 in Pac-12 play. For a full NCAA tournament schedule visit ncaa.com.
Also Nominated (Player): Vince Bruno, CAL; Justin Hazard, UCLA; Jeremy Martinez, USC.
Also Nominated (Pitcher): Tyger Talley, ARIZ; Kyle Porter, CAL; Tommy Thorpe, ORE; Ben Wetzler, OSU; Cal Quantrill, STAN; Kyle Davis, USC.
2014 Pac-12 Players of the Week: Feb. 18 – Michael Conforto, Jr., OF, OSU; Feb. 25 – Scott Kingery, So., OF, ARIZ; Mar. 4 - Kevin Swick, INF, USC; Mar. 11 – Shane Zeile, C, UCLA; Mar. 18 – Andrew Ely, 2B, WASH; Mar. 24 – Brian Wolfe, 1B/OF, WASH; Mar. 31 – Brian Wolfe, 1B/OF, WASH; April 7 – Yale Rosen, OF, WSU; April 14 – Mitchell Tolman, INF, ORE; April 21 – Danny Diekroeger, 1B, STAN; April 28 – Jake Hernandez, 1B, USC; May 5 – Shaun Chase, C, ORE; May 12 – Jeff Hendrix, OF, OSU; May 19 – Drew Stankiewicz, SS, ASU; May 26 – Zach Hoffpauir, RF, STAN.
2014 Pac-12 Pitchers of the Week: Feb. 18 – Daulton Jefferies, Fr., RHP, CAL; Feb. 25 – Nick Green, Sr., LHP, UTAH; Mar. 4 - Cody Poteet, RHP, UCLA; Mar. 11 - Jace Fry, LHP, OSU; Mar. 18 - Grant Watson, LHP, UCLA; Mar. 18 - Tommy Thorpe, LHP, ORE; Mar. 31 - Jace Fry, LHP, OSU; April 7 - Tyler Davis, RHP, WASH; April 14 – Joe Pistorese, LHP, WSU; April 21 – Wyatt Strahan, RHP, USC; April 28 – Ryan Kellogg, LHP, ASU; May 5 – Jace Fry, LHP, OSU; May 12 – Darin Gillies, RHP, ASU; May 19 – Ben Wetzler, LHP, OSU; May 26 – James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA.