May 5, 2008

SAN DIEGO - For the sixth time this season and the fourth week in a row, San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg has been tabbed the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week. The sophomore from San Diego (West Hills HS) was honored for his effort in last Friday's win against Air Force in Colorado Springs.

Strasburg's six MWC weekly pitching awards in 2008 are the most ever in a season by a league hurler, eclipsing the four won by BYU's Nate Fernley in 2001 and Utah's Mitch Maio in 2002. With his fourth consecutive accolade, he also goes one better than Fernley's three straight awards during the 2001 campaign.

In a game played in 42-degree weather with 20 mph winds gusting to 30 mph, Strasburg tossed a complete-game shutout in SDSU's 15-0 over the Falcons on May 2. He allowed just three hits in the contest, striking out 11 and walking only one. He had a runner reach third base with one out in the seventh inning, but struck out the next two batters to preserve the shutout. Only one other batter reached as far as second base.

With the 11 strikeouts in the contest, Strasburg has taken over the national lead in that category. He also ranks among the top five in the country in earned run average (1.43) and strikeouts per nine innings (13.14). In addition, the shutout lowered his league-leading ERA to 0.75 and he has allowed just one run in his last 46 innings on the mound.

Strasburg is now two strikeouts shy of breaking former Aztec Marcos Mendoza's Mountain West Conference record of 78 K's in league games. He also needs just 13 strikeouts to break Rob Brown's SDSU single-season mark of 122 that has stood since 1989.

San Diego State concludes its 2008 Mountain West Conference schedule with a three-game series at Brigham Young this week beginning with a contest on Thursday, May 8, at 7:00 p.m. (MDT) in Provo.