FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – New Mexico senior Kevin Atkinson and San Diego State junior Stephen Strasburg have been named the Mountain West Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Atkinson, from Surrey, B.C., Canada, batted .615 (16-for-26) from the plate, with three home runs, one double, nine RBI and 13 runs scored, as the Lobos went 6-0 last week, including a two-game sweep at No. 3 Texas A&M. In a 10-6 win vs. the third-ranked Aggies, Brownstein went 4-for-5 with two RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base. In the Lobos’ 9-6, game two win, he went 3-for-5 with one double, two runs scored and one RBI. For the series, Atkinson hit .700 (7-for-10) and tallied four runs scored, and three RBI. In UNM’s first game of a four-game series vs. Northwestern, Atkinson blasted a solo home run, as the Lobos defeated the Wildcats, 11-6. In New Mexico’s 16-12 victory in game one of Saturday’s double-header, Atkinson went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and four runs scored, and followed with a 1-for-3, two-run scored performance in a 10-6, game two win. He finished the week going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI in UNM’s 13-4 series-ending victory. Defensively, Atkinson tallied 64 putouts and six assists from the first base position.
Strasburg, a San Diego, Calif., native, went 7.0 innings in a start vs. BYU last Friday, striking out 15 batters and walking two, while giving up no runs. Strasburg struck out the side in the first inning and retired the first nine hitters he faced (seven strikeouts) overall. He also struck out the side in the fifth and sixth innings. On the night, Strasburg allowed just two hits (both singles) as he held BYU to a .087 batting average. For his performance, Strasburg was awarded his fourth Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honor of the season
