IRVINE, Calif. --- After a sweep of UC Davis, Anteaters
Jake Palmer and
Trenton Denholm stood out in their performances capturing the third UC Irvine sweep of Big West weekly awards this season.
Palmer's week started Tuesday in the loss to UCLA. After missing a majority of the last month with injury, he jumped in without missing a beat knocking 11 hits over four games which included two 3-hit games and a 4-hit game, the second of his career. He added a pair of RBI in Sunday's win, scored five times over the weekend, and reached base a grand total of 13 times in 20 plate appearances. It is the first award for Palmer and fourth field player from UCI to earn the accolade this season.
Denholm pitched masterfully once again on Saturday regrouping after a pair of early-inning runs to shut down the Aggies down the stretch. At one point, Denholm retired 14 straight batters which included his own brother, Logan Denholm, on three occasions doused with two of his nine strikeouts on the evening. Denholm earned the win, his ninth, while finishing off the win with his third complete game, ninth-most in the country, and first 3-CG year for an Anteater since Andrew Morales in 2014. His ERA remained low at 1.77 which stands ninth-lowest in the nation along with the second-lowest WHIP.
The award for Denholm is his fourth of the season, the most for any Anteater in a single season, and the fifth of his career tying him with Scott Gorgen for the most by an Anteater. He joins the list of eight previous Big West baseball players and six pitchers to win as many as five awards in a career.
The team has collected 11 Big West awards in 2019, a program record, with now a program-record seven pitchers of the week, and the four field player of the week awards ties a program record with the 2011, 2014, and 2015 squads.
One more week remains in the regular season for the Anteaters who sit at 34-16 overall and a tie for second in the conference at 15-6. UCI will host USC Tuesday night before traveling for a three-game series at UC Riverside starting Thursday, May 23
