NORTHRIDGE – Senior Isaiah Nunez’ five-hit shutout over Cal State Fullerton has earned the left hander Big West Co-Pitcher of the Week honors, the league office announced on Monday.

In his final collegiate start, Nunez blanked the Titans last Thursday in a 1-0 victory. Tossing 126 pitches, Nunez posted his first career shutout and tied a personal-best with eight strikeouts while yielding just one walk.

Pitching in a 0-0 game all afternoon, Nunez worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in a 30-pitch first inning and fourth-inning trouble where the first two Titan batters reached base. The southpaw would be perhaps his best with runners on base as he squashed both of those rallies as well as stranding the go-ahead run at second base in the seventh inning.

Already over 100 pitches, Nunez saved his best for last over the last two innings, retiring the final six batters he faced. Overall, he sat down 14 of 16 batters to close the game. Junior Blake Doremus would score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a passed ball to give the Matadors the win.

CSUN’s shutout win over the Titans was the team’s first over the Big West’s perennial power since 1991, a streak that spanned 75 games.

Originally from Sacramento, Nunez completed two outstanding seasons with the Matadors this past weekend. After beginning his Matador career as a situational lefty last season, Nunez emerged as the team’s Friday starter by season’s end in 2019. Nunez went 8-4 during the regular season, becoming the first Matador to win at least eight games since 2002. He ended the year ranked fifth in the Big West in innings pitched (93.1), tied for sixth in wins and ninth in strikeouts (66) and ERA (3.09).

Surrendering just 13 walks on the season, Nunez ranked 11th in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (1.25).

The weekly honor is the first of Nunez’s career and the second by a Matador pitcher this season, joining Wesley Moore. Nunez shares Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday with UC Santa Barbara’s Rodney Boone who tossed 8.1 shutout innings against Cal Poly on Saturday.