West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt (player) and Blaine Traxel (co-pitcher and newcomer) plus Texas’ Lucas Gordon (co-pitcher) earned Big 12 baseball weekly awards for games ending May 1. The weekly awards included the Conference game played Monday afternoon.
Wetherholt returned to the starting lineup for the first time since April 14, helping the Mountaineers to a 4-0 week while maintaining its hold on first place in the Big 12 standings. The sophomore second baseman hit .529 with three home runs and a triple for a 1.726 OPS. In the midweek contest against Penn State, he hit a third-inning grand slam to open the scoring, and added a triple and a sac fly. The Mars, Pennsylvania native extended his hitting streak, now at nine games, in Friday’s series opener at Baylor, before closing the series with back-to-back three-hit games, each of which featured a home run. For the season, he is hitting .463, which would rank second on the Big 12’s single-season list. It is his second Player of the Week nod of the season.
Gordon threw a career-high 8.0 innings as he picked up the series-opening 8-4 win at TCU, running his record to 5-0 on the year. The junior southpaw allowed six hits, four runs, one walk and struck out five, and never allowed the Horned Frogs to take the lead in the game. The Los Angeles native is the Big 12’s leader with a 2.16 earned run average and picked up his first Big 12 weekly award selection.
In his first shutout of the season, Traxel held Baylor to six hits, striking out six and did not issue a walk in the 10-0 win on Saturday. It marked the nation-leading fifth complete game of the season for the righty from Burbank, California, the most for a Big 12 pitcher since the 2014 season. The graduate student leads the nation with 79.2 innings pitched and maintains a 3.05 earned run average as he improved his record to 6-3. It is Traxel’s second Pitcher of the Week honor, as he previously was selected Feb. 27, but his first Newcomer of the Week selection. Traxel also was named National Co-Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA.
Big 12 Baseball Player of the Week:
Feb. 20: Austin Davis, TCU
Feb. 27: JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
March 6: Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State
March 13: Roc Riggio, Oklahoma State
March 20: Austin Green, Texas Tech
March 27: Porter Brown, Texas
April 3: Roberto Pena, Kansas State
April 10: Anthony SIlva, TCU
April 17: Gavin Kash, Texas Tech
April 24: Tevin Tucker, West Virginia
May 2: JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
Big 12 Baseball Pitcher of the Week:
Feb. 20: Brendan Girton, Texas Tech
Feb. 27: Blaine Traxel, West Virginia
March 6: Cam Brown, TCU
March 13: Juaron Watts-Brown, Oklahoma State
March 20: Will Rigney, Baylor
March 27: Cam Brown, TCU
April 3: Juaron Watts-Brown, Oklahoma State
April 10: Tyson Neighbors, Kansas State & Robby Porco, West Virginia
April 17: Ryan Free, Texas Tech
April 24: Carter Campbell, Oklahoma
May 2: Lucas Gordon, Texas & Blaine Traxel, West Virginia
Big 12 Baseball Newcomer of the Week:
Feb. 20: Kevin Bazzell, Texas Tech
Feb. 27: Janzen Keisel, Oklahoma State
March 6: Nolan Schubart, Oklahoma State & Louis Rodriguez, TCU
March 13: Easton Carmichael, Oklahoma
March 20: Dakota Harris, Oklahoma & Austin Green, Texas Tech
March 27: Carson Benge, Oklahoma State
April 3: Gage Harrelson, Texas Tech
April 10: Cole Elvis, Kansas
April 17: Gage Harrelson, Texas Tech
April 24: Tyler Wulfert, Oklahoma State
May 2: Blaine Traxel, West Virginia