Long Beach State University Athletics
Prigatano Claims Big West Player Of The Week Honors
4/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 7, 2014
IRVINE, Calif. - Junior outfielder Richard Prigatano was selected as the Big West's Field Player of the Week after helping the Long Beach State Dirtbags to a series win over No. 17 UCLA. Prigatano is the Dirtbags' first Player of the Week winner this season and their first field player to win the award since 2012.
Prigatano was 6-for-12 in the three-game series against UCLA and drove in six runs to lead the Dirtbags in the 2-1 series upset. His six RBI drove up his season total to a career-high 27 RBI. He has driven in six in each of the last two weeks.
The junior outfielder also drew three walks for a .600 on-base percentage in the series. His batting average has jumped up to .340 while his team-leading on-base percentage is now .465. He also leads the Dirtbags with a .456 slugging percentage.
He had three RBI in each of the Dirtbags wins last weekend. He drove in two in the first inning of Saturday's game at UCLA, doubled and scored in the fifth and singled in another run in the ninth as the Dirtbags won 4-0. On Sunday, he had run scoring singles in the first and second innings for another three RBI and later walked and scored in the fourth as the Dirtbags took the series with an 8-5 comeback win.
Prigatano became the first Dirtbag to earn the big West's weekly award since Shane Carle reeled in the award on May 20, 2013. Josh Guerra was the last field player to win the award, which came on April 30, 2012.
The Dirtbags host LMU tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Blair Field.
