IRVINE, Calif.—Cal State Fullerton sophomore third baseman Matt Chapman and sophomore pitcher Koby Gauna earned Big West Fielder and Pitcher of the Week honors this week after propelling the Titans to a three-game series sweep of Cal State Northridge over the weekend.
Chapman batted .500 and either scored or drove in two game-winning runs to earn Fullerton's third Big West Field Player of the Week award of the season.
He sported a .500 batting average for the weekend, collecting six hits in 12 at-bats and recorded a team-high tying four RBI, while scoring three runs for the Titans in the three wins.
Chapman drove in his first run of the series with a sacrifice fly in the Titans' series opening, 5-2, victory Thursday night before he exploded for back-to-back three hit performances Friday and Saturday.
He went 3-for-4 in Friday's 6-4 win, while scoring and driving in the winning run with one swing of the bat, as his solo home run broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth. Chapman lifted a 2-0, two-out offering from DJ Milam over the left field fence for his fourth home run of the season. He also recorded a double and another run scored earlier in the contest.
Chapman then helped the Titans complete the sweep on Saturday in a 9-6 triumph. In addition to going 3-for-5 at the plate, he scored the game-winning run in the eighth, and provided an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth. Chapman posted a .833 slugging percentage as Fullerton rolled to its 14th series victory of the year and seventh consecutive win.
On the pitching side, Gauna was equally as impressive, making just his second weekend start of the year in the opening game of the series. The right-hander tossed seven strong innings, and allowed just two earned runs on five hits, while recording three strikeouts, to claim Fullerton's third Big West Pitcher of the Week award this season.
After surrendering a two-spot in the second frame, Gauna settled down and retired 14 consecutive Northridge hitters, facing the minimum from the third through the seventh inning.
The performance propelled the Titans to a 5-2 win, giving Fullerton its fourth straight series-opening victory and brought its record to 11-3 overall in weekend series openers this season.