Gonzaga Baseball players Karsten Sweum and Ricky Sanchez received national recognition on May 12 for their recent performances. Sweum earned three national awards, while Sanchez was named the top shortstop in the nation for the week.
The achievements highlight Gonzaga’s strong presence in college baseball this season. Both players contributed significantly to their team’s success, helping secure important wins.
Sweum was named to Baseball America’s National Team of the Week, as well as being recognized as national Co-Pitcher of the Week by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game. He earned these honors after throwing a no-hitter on Saturday, which secured the West Coast Conference regular season title for Gonzaga. The no-hitter was only the sixth in program history. During his performance, Sweum struck out 15 batters out of 21 outs, allowed just two walks, and needed only 93 pitches—63 of them strikes—to complete his feat. He has now won conference pitcher of the week three times this season and leads the conference with 99 strikeouts.
Sanchez received the Brooks Wallace award from the College Baseball Foundation as Shortstop of the Week. He batted leadoff during all four wins that week, posting a .500 batting average with seven hits in fourteen at-bats, two doubles, six runs scored, two runs batted in (RBI), and six walks. Defensively, he played error-free over eighteen chances and helped turn four double plays.
These recognitions reflect both individual excellence and team achievement during an important stretch of Gonzaga’s baseball season.
