UC Davis senior right-hander Noel Valdez was honored with the season's first Big West Pitcher of the Week award on Feb. 17. Photo courtesy of UC Davis Athletics

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - UC Davis senior right-hander Noel Valdez held Gonzaga scoreless for six innings in the Aggies' 3-1 win on Feb. 15 and was honored with the season's first Big West Pitcher of the Week award, the conference announced on Feb. 17.

Valdez, the South San Francisco native, kept the Bulldogs off balance in an efficient manner, allowing just four hits, striking out three, and surrendering zero walks, setting the tone for the rest of the pitching staff over the final two days of the series.

Valdez's six innings pitched tied for the most among all Big West pitchers this past weekend, along with Cal State Fullerton's Mikiah Negrete.

This is Valdez's first Big West Pitcher of the Week honor, and the first weekly award for an Aggie since the 2019 season when both Logan Denholm and Chris Brown swept the weekly awards after a dominating series win over Northern Colorado.

The Aggies were back in action on Feb. 18, hosting Pacific for the first mid-week game of the season with the Aggies using a 5-run first inning to propel themselves to a 11-7 victory over the Tigers.