SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga two-way ace Gabriel Hughes has been named the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. Following a masterful performance in a 2-0 shutout win over Santa Clara on Friday, Hughes is the second GU pitcher to earn the honor — making it three straight weeks that a Zag has taken home a weekly baseball award from the conference following RHP William Kempner and catcher/DH Stephen Lund in the past two weeks.

Hughes matched a career high with seven innings of work against the Broncos on Friday, throwing 12 strikeouts while keeping SCU's hitters from earning a run. In those seven frames, he allowed only five total hits without a single extra base hit, walking just one batter. RHP Alek Jacob put the finishing touches on the shutout with two frames of hitless relief to go with three more K's.

"A great win to start conference play," said Head Coach Mark Machtolf post-game on Friday. "Nice to see Hughes with a big outing, and AJ to come in and slam the door."
 
Hughes also started at first base in wins over the Broncos on Saturday and Sunday, combining for 14 putouts with a 1.000 field percentage along with a double and a run on Sunday as GU went on to earn a series sweep for the first time this spring. The Zags will test their four-game win streak in a single game against Pac-12 foe Washington Tuesday afternoon, with Hughes set to make another start at first.

Hughes is GU's probable starter for Friday, as the Bulldogs (11-8) resume the WCC pennant race with a three-game series against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, Calif. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date stats, game-time information, live streaming options and more.