LA JOLLA, Calif. - Junior right-hander Justin Donatella of UC San Diego was named Tuesday as both the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Pitcher of the Week, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region Pitcher of the Week, for April 6-12.
The native of Saugus (Saugus HS) has now earned each distinction twice for the 2015 season, having picked them up together back on March 3 as well.
Donatella added to an incredible third collegiate campaign with six more shutout innings in last Friday night's series-opening 8-0 victory for UCSD at home against Cal State Monterey Bay. He held the fourth-place Otters scoreless on just four hits, all singles, one walk and a hit-by-pitch. Donatella struck out a season-high 12, which appears to match the league high for 2015 (Cal State L.A.'s Brandon Quintero). That total fell one short of his career best of 13 from a year ago, which stands as UCSD's Division II-era program record.
Donatella fanned at least two in each of his first five frames, ending all five with a punch-out. He struck out the side in the second after a hit-by-pitch and a single put a pair of Otters on base, and retired CSUMB in order twice, in the first and third. No Otter advanced past second base.
Donatella (7-1) continues to lead the league in wins (tied), ERA (0.63) and strikeouts (82). He is sixth nationally in the NCAA Division II in ERA, tied for eighth in strikeouts, 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.87), tied for 14th in victories, sixth in WHIP (0.75), and 13th in hits allowed per nine innings (4.87). His current 0.63 ERA would constitute a Triton all-time single-season record. Donatella has only allowed a run in three of his nine starts in 2015, with five total, only four of them earned, and reached double figures in strikeouts three times. UCSD is a perfect 8-0 in his conference starts, with Donatella 7-0 with a no-decision in those outings. His only loss on the year was to current No. 2 Colorado Mesa in his 2015 debut.
This is the second CCAA weekly honor of Donatella's career, and the fourth award for a Triton this season, after senior left-hander Trevor Scott picked up the year's first pitcher selection back on Feb. 3. Sophomore outfielder Jack Larsen was also announced as the CCAA Player of the Week that day.
Donatella will next take the mound this Friday night, April 17, as 27th-ranked and second-place UCSD opens another key four-game CCAA series at Cal State Stanislaus.
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