MIAC BASEBALL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College's Ryan Mestnik (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week, it was announced on Monday.

Mestnik compiled two wins during the last week to improve to 6-0 on the season for Augsburg. On Wednesday, he was one of 14 different pitchers to throw one inning each in Augsburg's sweep of Viterbo (Wis.) at the Metrodome. He pitched the first inning of the second game, striking out one of the three batters he faced and throwing just 11 pitches (eight strikes). On Saturday, he threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout in Augsburg's 1-0 win at Gustavus, striking out three while walking one and facing just 27 batters in the win, part of a doubleheader split.

On the season, Mestnik is now 6-0 with a 0.77 ERA, allowing 18 hits and just three runs, with 16 strikeouts against six walks, in 35.0 innings of work. He also has three complete-game shutouts in his first seven collegiate starts.

Augsburg is now 15-5 overall, 1-1 in MIAC play, having won 13 of its last 15 games. Augsburg's 15-5 start is its best start to the season in its first 20 games since 1987, when the Auggies started 18-2 en route to a 31-10, MIAC championship finish.

Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday (4/3) at 6:35 p.m., facing the Division I University of Minnesota at the Metrodome. The Auggies have home doubleheaders this week against the MIAC's regular-season co-champions from last season -- St. Thomas on Wednesday (4/4) at 2:30 p.m. and Macalester on Saturday (4/7) at 1 p.m.