TURLOCK, Calif. — Stan State right-hander Austin Balentine was named the NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week following his dominant opening-day performance against Central Washington on Jan. 31 at Warrior Field.

Balentine was outstanding in his first start of the 2026 season, tossing six hitless innings to earn the win in Stan State's 5–0 victory. He faced the minimum through six, allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks, while striking out four on just 65 pitches.

The senior induced consistent weak contact, recording eight flyouts and six groundouts, and did not allow a Central Washington runner to reach scoring position during his outing. Balentine retired all 19 batters he faced before turning the ball over to the bullpen.

Balentine's performance continues a strong collegiate career in which he has compiled a 16–8 record with a 4.82 ERA over 52 appearances, including 18 starts. Across 177.1 career innings, he has recorded 144 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .272 batting average, with three complete games and three saves. He currently ranks tenth on the Warriors' all-time strikeouts list and is one win away from moving into tenth on the program's career wins chart.

In addition to the regional honor, Balentine was also named the FloCollege/CCAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon.

His performance set the tone early, backing a four-run first inning as the Warriors opened the season 1–0 with a shutout win.

Balentine improved to 1–0 on the year, while Stan State pitching limited Central Washington to just three hits in the game.

The Warriors are now 3–0 and will travel to Costa Mesa, Calif., this Friday-Saturday, February 6–7, for a three-game non-conference series with Vanguard. Stan State will return home Friday-Sunday, February 13–15, for a four-game non-conference series with Simpson.