TURLOCK, Calif. — Stan State senior right-hander Austin Balentine has been named the FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the third time in his career following his dominant complete-game shutout performance against Western Oregon on Feb. 20 at Warrior Baseball Field.

The honor marks Balentine's second CCAA Pitcher of the Week award of the 2026 season and the third of his career. He previously earned the recognition earlier this year on Jan. 31 after a dominant opening-day performance against Central Washington, and first received the award for the week of April 29–May 5, 2024.

Against Western Oregon, Balentine was masterful in the Warriors' 13-0 victory, improving to 4-0 on the season after tossing 7.0 scoreless innings. The senior allowed just five hits, walked none, and struck out two while throwing an efficient 77 pitches. He faced just one batter over the minimum and did not allow a runner to advance past second base.

In his season-opening start against Central Washington, Balentine tossed six hitless innings in a 5-0 win, allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out four on just 65 pitches. He retired all 19 batters he faced and did not allow a runner to reach scoring position.

In the most recent CCAA statistical rankings, Balentine is tied for first in wins, ranks third in ERA, and fourth in opponent batting average.

With the victory over Western Oregon, Balentine raised his career win total to 19, tying him for seventh place in Stan State program history.

Stan State returns to action Feb. 27-28 with a three-game non-conference road series at Chico State in Chico, Calif. The Warriors open the series Friday at 2 p.m. at Nettleton Stadium before a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Stan State then opens CCAA play March 6-8, hosting Cal State East Bay at Warrior Baseball Field. The series begins Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and concludes Sunday at noon.