Jake Toporek received the conference-wide accolade following a season-best outing against Wichita State.
After a stellar outing against the Wichita State Shockers, Tulane Green Wave pitcher Jake Toporek has been named to the American Conference Weekly Honor Roll.
The graduate student made sure his presence was felt in Thursday's opening game of the series, pitching 5.1 shutout innings while giving up just three hits and striking out four batters. Additionally, he gave up no walks and limited Wichita State to a .156 batting average at the plate. Toporek was credited with the win on the mound, marking his first victory of the season.
Though he's had some rough stretches so far this year, Toporek seems to be settling in to his role quite nicely. He's made 13 appearances on the year for a total of 27.0 innings pitched, with his most-recent outing being the longest so far. Toporek has given up 11 total runs -- eight of which have been earned -- along with 23 hits, eight doubles and two home runs. He's been fairly accurate at the plate with 30 strikeouts to just eight walked batters and two hit batters.
As a promising transfer from the Wagner Seahawks program, Toporek could be a major driving force that helps this team moving forward. There's been some inconsistency in the weekend starting rotation since the beginning of American Conference play, but Toporek could serve as a reliable starter as the season continues.
Though this is Toporek's first time being named to the Weekly Honor Roll, he's now the sixth Sluggerbird to be recognized by the conference so far this season.
Tanner Chun and Jack Frankel received this accolade on February 23rd, while Trey Cehajic was named the American Conference Pitcher of the Week back on March 2nd following a career-best performance against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. The Green Wave saw another pair listed in the Weekly Honor Roll on March 23rd, with Jason Wachs and Jude Abbadessa both being recognized.
Tulane will now look to ride the momentum of a big American Conference series win. The Sluggerbirds will continue their road trip out West with a midweek contest against the Lamar Cardinals on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. CT.
Afterwards, the Green Wave will return home for a highly-anticipated matchup against the East Carolina Pirates, which enters the matchup as one of the top teams in league play. First pitch for Friday night's series-opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. The series continues with a Saturday matchup that's set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and a Sunday afternoon conclusive third game that begins at 1 p.m. CT.