Longoria wins second RRAC Pitcher of the Week honor

WACO – UHV starting pitcher Mason Longoria has found a groove over the last two weeks.

The Victoria native has pitched consecutive shutouts in his last two starts and notched a career-high in strikeouts in each.

This past week, Longoria threw 11 strikeouts in a complete-game, 5-0 shutout win over Xavier (La.) on Saturday, leading to the Red River Athletic Conference naming him Pitcher of the Week for March 4-10 on Monday.

The win spurred UHV to a three-game sweep of the Gold Rush and now a seven-game winning streak.

It's the second time Longoria has been recognized by the conference with his first coming in the first week after a 1-0 win over Wayland Baptist in the season opener.

"Since the first week, I've been chasing these awards," Longoria said. "I want to go out and pitch the best I possibly can. Pitcher of the Week is one thing that helps motivate me to get to this point. I'm thankful for the recognition, but I also couldn't do it without my teammates and my coaches. We have belief and trust in each other, and we can't wait to keep the ball rolling this week."

Saturday's win was the third complete game of the season for Longoria and fifth of his career.

Currently, the right-hander ranks second in the conference in strikeouts with 47 in six starts.

After picking up his third win this season – all of which were shutouts – he boasts a 2.54 ERA which has helped the Jaguars (16-6, 5-4) to a 2.66 staff ERA, a mark that ranks second in the nation.

"I've asked Mason to be a dog when he's on the mound and he's run with it," said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. "Every time he's out there, we know we can win. He's put in the work and it's paying off. I couldn't be more proud of him."

The Jaguars hit the road for the next four games, starting with a 6 p.m. clash with NCAA Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday.