Bowen MWC Player of Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - BYU senior rightfielder Michael Bowen and San Diego State junior righthander Stephen Strasburg have been named the Mountain West Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Bowen, an Acworth, Georgia, native, hit .600 (12-for-20) from the plate, with three home runs, one double, 10 RBI and seven runs scored as BYU went 3-2 last week, including a three-game sweep of UNLV in conference play. In game one of a two-game series vs. 10th-ranked Kansas State, Bowen went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI and one run scored in BYU's 9-8 extra-inning loss. In game two vs. the Wildcats, he went 3-for-4 with a double in an 11-3 loss. In the opener of a three-game conference series vs. UNLV, Bowen went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs scored in a 15-12 win. In game two, he went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in BYU's 7-3 victory. Bowen concluded the series with a 3-for-4, six-RBI and one-run scored performance, including a home run, a double and three stolen bases in BYU's 14-13 win.

Strasburg, from San Diego, Calif., tossed the third individual no-hitter in MWC history in last Friday's 5-0 win over Air Force. It is also the seventh no-hitter in SDSU program history and the first by an individual Aztec player since April 22, 1986. Strasburg retired the first nine batters he faced, seven via strikeout, before allowing a leadoff walk in the fourth. That runner was erased when caught trying to steal. The only other Falcon baserunner came on another leadoff walk in the sixth, after which Strasburg struck out the side. He retired the final 12 hitters he faced, including striking out the side in the ninth to finish the contest. He finished the game with 17 strikeouts, while facing only 28 batters.