HarbourCats player updates - Big West / WAC edition

Griffin Andreychuk

The NCAA Division I baseball season got underway on Friday and a number of players on this summer’s HarbourCats roster were in the thick of the action. In this player update, we’ll get you up to speed on the 2015 HarbourCats who play in the Big West and Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Seattle University’s Griffin Andreychuk batted leadoff and played shortstop in all four games against St. Mary’s College this weekend. The Nanaimo native went 4-for-16 (.250) with two runs scored and a pair of RBI, but Seattle U dropped three of four to the Gaels. As was the case last season, Andreychuk has struggled with his defense out of the gate; he committed three errors in the Saturday doubleheader and currently sports an .833 fielding percentage. It’s still early, so Andreychuk has plenty of time to turn things around in the field.

The Sacramento State Hornets are hosting the Utah Utes in a four-game set that wraps up on Monday. Although Dane Fujinaka was the starting catcher last season for the Hornets, former HarbourCat Gunner Pollman started behind the plate in the first three games against the Utes. It’s expected that Fujinaka will get the start tomorrow, but it’s clear that he has a battle on his hands to reclaim his starting job. The 5-foot-8-inch Hawaiian is solid offensively, but our sources tell us that Pollman has the edge defensively, especially when it comes to throwing out baserunners. This will be an interesting situation to watch. The other current HarbourCat who plays for Sacramento State, freshman PJ Floyd, only saw action as a pinch runner on Sunday.

AJ Alcantara

Sophomore Adam (AJ) Alcantara started two of the three opening games in right field for the UC Irvine Anteaters. Alcantara went one-for-seven at the plate and scored a run after being hit by a pitch on Saturday. The Anteaters, who were ranked 33rd by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, will likely drop out of the rankings after losing all three games to the unranked Fresno State Bulldogs this weekend.

Freshman Ryan Anderson of UC Davis registered his first collegiate hit on Friday night with a pinch-hit single against Texas State. Although he is normally a shortstop, Anderson got the start at DH on Sunday and went 0-for-2 with a run scored and a stolen base. Freshman Matt Blais did not make an appearance on the mound for the Aggies this weekend. In an odd twist, UC Davis and Texas State played to a rare 7-7 tie on Sunday, as the game was called after ten innings due to a travel curfew.

HarbourCatNip

• Former Victoria Mariner Chris Fougner continues to get plenty of playing time for Salt Lake Community College. Fougner has started five of the Bruins’ first six games in right field and he has gone 4-for-15 (.267) with four runs scored. As of Friday, he was still waiting to make his collegiate debut on the mound (the box scores from this weekend’s action are not yet available).
• Nanaimo’s Alex Rogers got knocked around on Friday by Nick Pivetta’s old school, New Mexico Junior College. Rogers gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits and no walks in five innings pitched. He is now 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP after his first two starts of the 2015 season.
• Alex Fagalde pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning in relief for Cuesta College on Tuesday, but his start on Saturday didn’t go quite so well. Fagalde held Saddleback College to an unearned run through the first five innings and then yielded three hits and walk to start the sixth frame. As was the case in his Opening Day start, Fagalde was pulled with the bases loaded and all three inherited runners came around to score. He now has an 0-3 record with a 7.53 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in four appearances -- very surprising numbers for the ace of the Cuesta pitching staff.