Shimabuku, Garcia sweep final SCIAC weekly honors

ORANGE, Calif. – For the third time in the six weeks of the baseball season, the Chapman University baseball team swept the SCIAC weekly awards. Junior pitcher Nick Garcia won his third Pitcher of the Week award while sophomore Brad Shimabuku was named Hitter of the Week for the first time.

In what turned out to be his final start of the season, Garcia was simply dominant. The right-hander from San Carlos, Calif. struck out nine of the 19 batters he faced. He allowed just one infield single and set the tone for the shutout victory – his fourth of the season. He finished the season 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA. HE struck out 36 and walked just seven in 27 innings.

Shimabuku ended the season on a tear with back-to-back three-hit games. On Monday, he hit a grand slam as part of a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. After two walks and a hit by pitch in the second, Shimabuku lifted a grand slam over the national championship banners in left for a 5-0 Chapman lead. He finished the season hitting .382 and led the team with 20 RBIs from the leadoff spot in the lineup.

With the 17-0 win over Dallas on Sunday, the Panthers finished the season 12-3 and ranked in the top-5 in Division III.