After helping Seattle University extend its overall winning streak to seven games and its conference winning streak to 10 games, senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Doyle (Covington, Wash.) has been named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, announced Monday morning by the league office.
In last Wednesday’s game against Portland, Doyle entered the contest in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. He induced a double play and followed that with a strikeout to work out of the jam with just one Pilot run scoring, and then he retired the Pilots in order in the ninth inning, including another strikeout, for his first save of the season.
This weekend, he capped Seattle U’s comeback victories on both Saturday and Sunday. In the middle game of the weekend series against New Mexico State, he entered the contest in the top of the 10th inning with a runner on and one out, struck out the first batter he saw, and then overcame a wild pitch and an infield single to retire the Aggies without any runs scoring, picking up the victory when the Redhawks scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Sunday, after the Redhawks rallied from a six-run deficit to take the lead, Doyle retired the Aggies in order in the ninth inning on a strikeout and two flyouts to pick up his second save of the week. Doyle has now made 12 appearances so far this season, striking out 12 batters in 11 1/3 innings of work and holding opponents to a .205 batting average.
“Kyle came up huge for us this past week. He was aggressive and did what we hope our seniors can continue to do when the game is on the line – have a say in the finish,” Seattle U head baseball coach Donny Harrel said.
For his Seattle U career, Doyle is now 5-4 with three saves, earning his first win since the Redhawks defeated New Mexico State, 7-6, on the final day of the 2013 season and his first save since a three-inning, two-hit performance at San Jose State Apr. 26, 2013. He becomes the third Redhawk pitcher to receive the conference’s weekly award this season, joining Will Dennis on Feb. 23 and Skyler Genger on March 16.
Seattle University (19-15, 11-1 WAC) will head across town to face the Washington Huskies Tuesday, April 14, at Husky Ballpark starting at 5 p.m. The Redhawks then host the University of Puget Sound Loggers Wednesday, April 15, at 7:15 p.m. at Bannerwood Park, followed by a three-game WAC home series against the University of North Dakota Friday through Sunday, April 17-19.