NCBWA DII West Region Players of the Week (Mar. 10)

DALLAS – Thanks to his strong starting performance on the mound in the season-opening 12-0 shutout win, Academy of Art baseball graduate student Matthew Sanchez has been named the NCBWA DII West Region Pitcher of the Week. The award is for games played from Mar. 1-7.

Sanchez adds another weekly award to the resume just two days after being named the PacWest Pitcher of the Week, as the right-hander went eight full innings to hold off the Sunbird bats which had just scored 59 runs in their last four games. In his 11th career start, he struck out three batters while scattering three walks and three hits to earn the win for the Urban Knights, their first conference win of the season. In three of the four strikeouts, he sent the batter back to the dugout looking. After the performance, Sanchez now leads the PacWest in innings pitched without an earned run allowed this season.

It is the first such honor in the career for Sanchez, and it is the first time an Urban Knight has received the honor in ART U history.