SAN DIEGO -- It was a week of triumphs for former Aztecs with a player of the week in the MLB, a tournament victory on the PGA Tour and playoff survival in the NBA.
In the MLB, infielder Ty France (2013-15) started at first base in each of Seattle's six games, bringing home Co-AL Player of the Week honors. Last week he batted .500, with a .552 on-base percentage, three home runs, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored. He currently leads the MLB with 24 hits and 42 total bases, while also leading the American League with a 236 OPS+. France started off his week with an RBI single against Texas on Wednesday night. The next night, he smashed the first pitch he saw from Rangers starter Taylor Hearn into the left-center bleachers for a two-run homer, giving Seattle a 2-0 lead. Just like the weather in San Diego, France got hotter as the week went on. In Saturday night's 13-7 victory over Kansas City, France singled and scored in the first, knocked in a run with another single in the second, singled and scored again in the sixth, drove in another run with his fourth single of the game in the seventh and crushed a massive 407-foot, three-run homer in the eighth. He totaled five RBIs and three runs scored on a career-high five hits. On Sunday, France drilled a two-run home run on Kansas City starter Carlos Hernandez's third pitch of the ballgame. On the season, he is batting .375 with a .459 on-base percentage, five home runs, 19 RBIs and 11 runs.
Infielder Alan Trejo (2015-17) played four games in the middle infield, including three starts for Colorado. He hit a trio of singles in 12 at bats while also scoring a run. On the season, Trejo is batting .300, a home run, five RBIs and three runs. Pitcher Stephen Strasburg (2008-09) remains on the 10-Day IL for Washington. Outfielder Greg Allen (2012-14) is spending at least the first two months of the season on the 60-Day IL for Pittsburgh.
On the PGA Tour, Xander Schauffele (2013-15) won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He teamed up with Patrick Cantlay and the pairing set a tournament record by finishing 29-under-par. He is the second former Aztec golfer to win a tournament this month after J.J. Spaun (2009-12) won the Valero Texas Open just three weeks earlier. It is Schauffele's first win since he brought home the Gold Medal in the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympics. Scott Piercy (1999-2001) and his partner, Sean O'Hair, tied for 21st at 17-under-par. Schauffele is ranked 12th in the world and 20th in the FedEx Cup and Spaun is ranked 15th in the FedEx Cup. Next weekend, Piercy is competing in the Mexico Open, in Vallarta, Mexico.
In the NBA, Toronto guard Malachi Flynn (2020) appeared in three games (3, 4 and 5) with the Raptors coming back against Philadelphia to force a Game 6 in the series. Flynn totaled a rebound, two assists and a steal in seven minutes in Game 3, played for a minute in Game 4, and picked up an assist in a minute in Game 5. Game 6 is on Thursday night in Toronto.