Feb. 28, 2011
Texas A&M junior John Stilson was selected Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday after turning in a career performance in his last appearance during the Aggies' 1-0 extra-inning win over Gonzaga.
Along with Stilson, the league office also honored a pair of Sooners as Oklahoma infielder Garrett Buechele was named Big 12 Player of the Week and redshirt freshman pitcher Jordan John was selected Big 12 Newcomer of the Week..
In Friday night's pitching match-up that Baseball America billed as a showdown between a pair of potential first-round picks, Stilson tossed a career-high nine shutout innings and tied his personal best with nine strikeouts. The Texarkana, Texas, native matched Gonzaga ace Ryan Carpenter pitch-for-pitch and continued to put zeros on the scoreboard before leaving a scoreless game that was bound for extra innings after throwing 107 pitches. His dominant performance, which featured just four hits allowed and no walks, paved the way for the Aggies to win the game, 1-0, on a walk-off single in the 11th inning.
For the season, Stilson is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15 innings of work. He has struck out 18 batters while walking only one and has limited opponents to a .143 average. He becomes the first Aggie to win a weekly award from the league office this season and the first pitcher to garner the honor since Barret Loux earned the recognition twice a year ago.
Stilson and the rest of the Texas A&M baseball team are back in action Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, hosting Texas-Pan American in a two-game series at Olsen Field. First pitch is schedule for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday and at 3:05 p.m. on Wednesday.