UCSB’s Justin Jacome
UC Santa Barbara junior left-handed pitcher Justin Jacome has been named the National Pitcher of the Week, it was announced by College Sports Madness on Tuesday morning.
Jacome helped the Gauchos to a series win over Long Beach State this past weekend with a standout Saturday start that was arguably the best of his career.
In his first ever complete game effort, the Redlands, Calif. native punched out a career-high 12 batters and allowed just four hits.
Besides his national honors, he was also named the Big West Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
He settled into a groove after allowing a run in the first inning, facing the minimum between innings two and six. Pitching out of a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh, he finished strong by retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced. Only two Dirtbags were able to collect hits after the first inning.
Mostly a pitch-to-contact starter as a freshman and sophomore, Jacome has really dialed up the “K’s” in his junior year, as he is now averaging over a strikeout per inning for the first time in his career (49 in 48 2/3 IP).
With the complete game win, Jacome improved his record to 4-1 while lowering his ERA to 2.03.
Justin and the rest of the twelfth-ranked Gauchos wrap up a three-weekend homestand by welcoming Fresno State to Caesar Uyesaka Stadium for a four-game set, starting on Wednesday. Jacome is slated to start on Friday in the penultimate game of the series.
