For the second time in four weeks, Cal State Monterey Bay’s James Starkus has been selected as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region Player of the Week.
 
Starkus batted .545 (6-for-11) with a 1.811 OPS to lead the Otters to three wins over Fresno Pacific. The junior from Las Vegas recorded a hit, run, and RBI in every game of the series as CSUMB outscored FPU 46-11 in the series and extended its winning streak to six straight. Starkus would finish the three-game set with two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, and four runs scored. In the second game of the series, Starkus went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and five RBI. He would add four more RBI in the second game of the doubleheader as he went 3-for-4 with another double and a home run.
 
Starkus is leading the CCAA with a .558 batting average and 29 runs batted in. He is also second in on-base percentage (.574) and first in slugging (.981).
 
2026 Honorees
Jan. 26-Feb. 1 - Player: Jack Sanders (Cal Poly Pomona), Pitcher: Austin Balentine (Stanislaus State)
Feb. 2-Feb. 8 – Player: James Starkus (Cal State Monterey Bay), Pitcher: Dylan Esquival (Cal Poly Pomona)
Feb. 9-Feb. 15 – Player: Dom Dominguez (Cal State San Bernardino), Pitcher: Vaughn Neckar (Point Loma)
Feb. 16- Feb. 22 – Player: Jonny Tewinkle (Biola), Pitcher: Jayden Gabrillo (Hawaii Pacific)
Feb. 23- Mar. 1 – Player: James Starkus (Cal State Monterey Bay), Pitcher: Matthew Kaiser (Concordia)