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In the week it makes its conference debut, the Hawaii baseball team got its first Big West honor.
Junior Matt Cooper was named the Big West pitcher of the week on Monday after striking out a career-high 10 in 72⁄3 innings in a 7-0 win over Wichita State on Saturday.
Cooper, 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA, hasn’t given up a run in 162⁄3 consecutive innings and has earned two victories during Hawaii’s recent stretch of four wins in five games.
Cooper tossed a three-hit shutout against Gonzaga two weeks ago to record UH’s first nine-inning complete-game shutout since Alex Capaul did it against Fresno State in 2010.
He’s only given up one run in 282⁄3 innings at home this season.
"If I keep pounding the zone and throwing strikes, I’ll get guys out, and that’s pretty much it," Cooper said after Saturday’s win.
Cooper will start his fourth game of the season when Hawaii faces UC Santa Barbara in its first Big West Conference series beginning Thursday night at Les Murakami Stadium.
Cooper is slated to pitch the third game of the series on Saturday.
Hawaii (5-16) will host the Gauchos (12-10) for four games, with only the first three counting toward conference play.
UH spent its past 33 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.
Seniors Connor Little (1-3, 4.04) and Corey MacDonald (2-2, 3.60) will start the first two games of the series.
Sophomore left-hander Scott Squier, who has started 19 games over the past two seasons, will start Sunday if he isn’t used out of the bullpen.
Squier is second on the team with a 2.70 ERA, but is 0-3 after giving up three runs on seven hits with two walks and two hit batters in Hawaii’s only loss of the series to Wichita State on Friday.
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