Canadian Collegiate - Players of the Week
May 5, 2021
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PBR Canada Collegiate Performers of the Week
Every week, we'll highlight one hitter and one pitcher to be our PBR Canada Collegiate Players of the Week which is powered by Mizuno. This is the 14th week and we have two fresh faces in west coast draft prospect Denzel Clarke and a big time bullpen performance from Mat Szabo.
THE OFFENSIVE SIDE
Hitter of the Week
Denzel Clarke, Cal State University - Northridge
Background: Outfielder Denzel Clarke was the most athletic in this class of 2018 and represented Canada at both the Future Games and Super 60. Clarke, a former Toronto Met, was selected by the New York Mets back in 2018 and his draft stock has continued to rise at CSUN. In 2020 he batted .400 with an OBP over .500 which really put him on the map heading into his draft year as many outlets had him tabbed as a top 100 college player in the 2021 draft. The former Junior National Team member continues to tap into more in-game power and his game-changing speed cannot be overlooked either.
Performance: Denzel really flashed his power/speed combination this weekend with four extra-base hits and four stolen bases in as many games against Cal - Berkeley. Not only has his power been up this year, but so has his walk-rate and that showed this weekend with an additional four walks. Throughout the entire four-game sweep, Clarke went 7-for-12 with two home runs, two doubles, three runs scored, six RBI, four walks and four stolen bases.
STAT LINE: 4 games played… 7-for-12, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SB
ON THE MOUND
Pitcher of the Week
Mat Szabo, Angelo State University
Background: We got some looks at Mat Szabo early on in the PBR Ontario days when he sat in the upper 80s with his fastball back in 2014/2015. The former GLC/Windsor Selects product originally attended Bowling Green for his first two college seasons followed by an additional two at Young Harris College. Now in his senior year, Szabo is with Angelo State University and works out of the bullpen for the 11th-ranked team in the country.
Performance: This might be the first time a bullpen arm has claimed Pitcher of the Week but it was difficult to ignore Szabo’s stat line to preserve the shutout for Angelo State. Szabo came on to start the 5th inning with a no-hitter still intact and he nearly preserved it. He allowed just one hit and one walk over five innings while racking up ten strikeouts. With this weekend’s sweep, Angelo State now holds a 31-6 record.
STAT LINE: 5.0 innings pitched… 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 10 K
