Whisenhunt Dominates Bees, Earns PCL Pitcher of the Week Honor

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A pair of strong outings in which he punched out a combined 14 batters while not allowing an earned run has earned left-hander Carson Whisenhunt his second Pacific Coast League weekly honor of the season, as he was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week for May 13-18.

The East Carolina product started the series opener and finale for the Sacramento River Cats against the Salt Lake Bees, each time tossing seven full innings which is tied for his professional career best. In the opener on May 13, he struck out nine without a walk for the second time this season, all coming with his 70-grade changeup which is tied for the best among all minor league pitchers (per MLB Pipeline). The nine strikeouts are tied for his season best, and he is the first River Cat with three games of nine strikeouts or more since Raynel Espinal in the 2022 campaign.

Whisenhunt gave an encore performance on May 18, allowing only two hits with one walk while punching out another five batters. He combined to yield just five hits in his two outings, surrendering only one unearned run that was aided by a throwing error in Sunday’s contest. Whisenhunt earned the win in both outings, and this season is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 er, 20.0 ip) and 23 strikeouts against Salt Lake.

This is the second time that Whisenhunt has earned a PCL weekly award this season, first collecting a PCL Pitcher of the Week honor on April 21 for his first appearance against the Bees this season on April 19 when he punched out nine with one walk and one hit allowed over six innings. For the River Cat this marks the third time this season a pitcher has earned league recognition as right-hander Carson Seymour also collected the title on April 7.

Overall, this is the fourth weekly honor earned by a River Cat this season, as Brett Auerbach was named the PCL Player of the Week in the opening weekend of the year from March 28-30. Sacramento has now matched the four weekly honors they earned in 2024 when Mason Black (4/15/24) and Tommy Romero (6/10/24) were PCL Pitchers of the Week while Tyler Fitzgerald (5/27/24) and Luis Matos (6/17/24) were PCL Players of the Week.

Following a six-game set in Oklahoma City that begins on Tuesday at 5:05 p.m. (PT), Sacramento will return home to host the El Paso Chihuahuas starting on Tuesday, May 27 at 6:45 p.m. (PT). To purchase individual tickets, visit rivercats.com. If interested in booking a suite or hospitality space, email [email protected] or reach a River Cats ticket representative at (916) 371-HITS (4487).