SAN DIEGO – Junior right-handed relief pitcher Adrian Mardueno was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Mountain West Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Mardueno threw 11 shutout innings last week, split between appearances against defending national champion and No. 6/7-ranked Oregon State and Nevada.
The Upland, Calif. product allowed just three hits over his 11 innings last week, holding opposing hitters to a .091 batting average. Of the 36 batters Mardueno faced, only one reached third base.
Both of Mardueno's relief outings last week started in bases-loaded, no-out situations. The junior was able to strand five of a possible six inherited runners for the week and he earned the win in both SDSU' 4-3 win over Oregon State on Tuesday and SDSU's 11-3 win against Nevada on Sunday.
Mardueno turned in one of SDSU's most dominant outings of the season against the Beavers, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits against the defending national champions. Mardueno logged a streak of 4.2 consecutive innings without allowing a hit against the Beavers until allowing a two-out double in the ninth inning. The seven innings pitched marked a new career-high for the junior, who leads all active Aztecs with 70 career appearances.
The Aztecs' win over the No. 6/7 Beavers is tied for SDSU's highest-ranked win since defeating San Diego 15-2 on Feb. 23, 2008. The Aztecs also defeated the No. 6-ranked Beavers 6-5 on March 28, 2016 in Corvallis. SDSU finished the series with a 7-2 record in its last nine games against Pac-12 members.
Mardueno followed his performance against the Beavers with a dominating four-inning relief appearance against the Wolf Pack, allowing just one hit while striking out six. Mardueno finished his outing facing the minimum over his final nine batters faced on Sunday.
Mardueno, currently on a streak of 14.1 innings without allowing an earned run, leads the Mountain West in both earned run average (1.50) and opponent batting average (.139).
Mardueno is the first Aztec to win Mountain West Pitcher of the Week this season and he's the first Aztec since Jordan Verdon to win Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week. Verdon won the honor twice during the 2018 season.
The Aztecs return to action Tuesday night at home, hosting Loyola Marymount for a 6:00 p.m. contest. The game will air live on XTRA 1360.