March 26, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - New Mexico outfield/catcher Mitchell Garver has earned Mountain West Baseball Player of the Week honors for games played from March 19-25, 2012. No pitchers were nominated this week.
Garver, a junior from Albuquerque, N.M., hit .417 (5-12) for the week as the Lobos went 2-1, winning a home series with TCU for the first time in Albuquerque and taking over sole possession of first place in the Mountain West.
In the series opener, the Lobos won 9-8 with Garver going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI and a triple. Garver scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at eight. The Horned Frogs won Saturday’s game 5-4 despite a 2-for-3 performance by Garver. He scored two runs to go along with two RBI, a double and his third home run of the season. The home run put the Lobos on the board in the bottom of the second after TCU had taken a 3-0 lead. The Lobos won the series finale, 12-7, on Sunday with Garver behind the plate defensively after two games in left field. Garver was 1-for-5 in the game with two runs scored and threw out a runner attempting to steal third base. For the week, he had one walk, one strikeout and was hit by a pitch. Defensively, he was errorless for the week with seven putouts and one assist.
“I’m seeing the ball well,” Garver said. “I’m looking for one pitch and when I get my pitch I hopefully won’t miss it. I’ve been working hard on getting on top of the ball and squaring it up and putting it in play.”
This is the third-straight week the Lobos have taken the Player of the Week honor in the conference. It is also the second-career Player of the Week honor for Garver.
2012 Mountain West Lobo Baseball Players of the Week
March 12 – DJ Peterson, So., 1B, New Mexico
March 19 – DJ Peterson, So., 1B, New Mexico
March 26 – Mitchell Garver, Jr., OF/C, New Mexico
2012 Mountain West Baseball Pitchers of the Week
March 12 – Gera Sanchez, Sr., RHP, New Mexico
March 19 – Austin House, Jr., RHP, New Mexico
March 26 – No nominations