After tying the Seattle University modern single-game record for strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game victory Sunday against Chicago State, freshman lefthander Tarik Skubal (Kingman, Ariz.) has been named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, announced Monday morning by the league office.
After giving up a leadoff home run to Chicago State’s best hitter, Skubal settled down, allowing just four hits and two walks during the rest of the game. He struck out the side in the second inning and, after Chicago State loaded the bases with nobody out, did the same in the fourth inning to prevent any runs from scoring. Skubal finished with 11 strikeouts, tying the modern single-game strikeout record, as 71 of his season-high 114 pitches were strikes.
Skubal is tied for second on the team with five wins, all of them coming in WAC games as he is 5-1 with a 2.86 earned run average during conference contests. In all games, he is fifth in the league with 60 strikeouts, ninth in earned run average at 3.58, and tied for 10th in victories. Skubal is second in the WAC in conference victories, fourth in strikeouts during conference games with 44, and fifth in ERA in league contests.
“Tarik was big this weekend when we needed him the most,” Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said. “Sundays are a big part of winning conference championships, and being 5-1 for us in conference is no small task, especially for a freshman.”
Seattle U is 6-2 in Skubal’s starts during conference play, including series-clinching victories over Utah Valley and Chicago State, wins over Texas-Pan American, Sacramento State, and New Mexico State to complete series sweeps, and a victory over Bakersfield to prevent the Redhawks from being swept. His previous season high of eight strikeouts in a single game came against Utah Valley on March 22 and at Bakersfield on April 26.
Seattle University (26-24, 16-8 WAC) hosts the Pacific Tigers in a non-conference game Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Courter Field on the campus of Bellevue College. The Redhawks will then travel to Greeley, Colo., to face Northern Colorado Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16, as both teams will look to solidify the highest possible seed for the upcoming WAC Baseball Tournament in Mesa, Ariz.