PACWEST BASEBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK

IRVINE, Calif. -- Following a sweep of Fresno Pacific, Point Loma pulled to within a game of first place in the PacWest standings with a 14-game winning streak that has cut into Azusa Pacific’s lead atop the conference.
 
After being named the No. 4 team in the West Region in the first set of NCAA rankings, Point Loma picked up four more wins to strengthen its chance of advancing to the postseason. The second game of the series was called during extra innings for darkness, and was resumed the next day. In the bottom of the 14th inning, Micah Pries hit a walk-off grand slam to secure the 10-6 victory before Point Loma went on to win two more games that day.
 
Azusa Pacific maintained its top spot in the PacWest standings by winning three of four games at Biola last week, which also helped Azusa Pacific win the inaugural Cornerstone Cup. Between the second and third games, the Cougars put a combined 33 runs on the board.
 
Concordia and DIxie State split their four-game series last week, meaning that the Trailblazers remain in sixth place with two weeks left in the season.
 
Academy of Art continues to have an outstanding baseball season by winning three of four games against Hawai`i Pacific and take sole possession of fifth place in the conference. Marciano Reichel hit an RBI-single up the middle in the 11th inning to break the tie for a 6-5 victory in the series opener. The Urban Knights went on to win another one-run game, 2-1 and wrapped up the series with a 6-2 victory on Saturday.
 
The penultimate week of the regular season features only two series with graduation taking place at several schools in the conference. The first of those two series is a key one as Academy of Art travels to California Baptist. In the first regional rankings, the Urban Knights did not make the top eight, while California Baptist came in at No. 5 and hasn’t played since then. The top six teams in the region will advance to the NCAA West Regional.
 
Academy of Art is 24-21 on the season after winning three of four games against Hawai`i Pacific. When playing at home this year, California Baptist is 16-8. Last year, the Urban Knights won one game against the Lancers.
 
The other series that will take place next week is Hawai`i Pacific traveling to Hawai`i Hilo for a Saturday doubleheader and a non-conference Sunday game. The Vulcans enter the series on a five-game winning streak after a sweep of Holy Names. Hawai`i Hilo is 15-19 on the season in PacWest play.
 
Hawai`i Pacific went 6-1-1 against Hawai`i Hilo last year with the final game of the second four-game series being called while still tied 5-5.
 
Weekly Awards based on play from the week of April 23-29

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Micah Pries, Point Loma
OF, So., 6-4 -- San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
In a week that featured several outstanding individual performances at the plate in the PacWest, Pries effort that helped Point Loma earn a crucial sweep stood above the rest. The sophomore went 8 for 18 with 10 RBIs and 18 total bases on the week in a four-game sweep of Fresno Pacific. In the second game of the series, Pries hit a three-run home run and had an RBI groundout to account for all four of the Sea Lions runs during regulation. After both teams traded solo home runs in the 11th inning, the game was called for darkness and resumed the next day. In the bottom of the 14th inning, Pries finished the game with a walk-off grand slam to win the game 10-6. The sophomore went 5 for 8 in the next two wins over the Sunbirds and finished the series with five extra-base hits.
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ben Kaser, Academy of Art
RHP, Jr., 6-2 -- Van Nuys, Calif.
Kaser broke an Academy of Art record last week by recording his sixth win of the season on Friday against Hawai`i Pacific. The junior threw a one-run complete game, scattering five hits and four walks with five strikeouts to hold onto a 2-1 win. He improved to 6-4 on the season with a 4.16 ERA. He has now won four of his last five starts. It was the first time this year that Kaser has gone beyond the seventh inning in one of his starts. He threw 131 pitches, getting over the 100-pitch mark for just the second time this season.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Brendan Dixon, Azusa Pacific
LHP, Fr., 6-1 -- Hemet, Calif.
On Thursday, Dixon entered the Cougars’ game against Biola in the third inning with the Cougars trailing 2-1. He threw seven shutout innings in relief with only three hits and three walks allowed with four strikeouts to earn the win as the offense put six more runs on the board. It was the first time in his career that Dixon had thrown more than two frames in an outing. He brought his ERA on the season down to 1.72 as he earned his second career win.