HONOLULU (February 15, 2016) – Hawaii Pacific senior closer Brandon Bonilla was named the PacWest Newcomer of the Week after helping the Sharks baseball team start the season with a five-game sweep of Saint Leo (Fla.) University last week.
 
The southpaw made three appearances in the series and posted two saves while striking out seven over 3 1/3 innings. In HPU's 7-6 win over the Lions on Feb. 12, Bonilla stranded five runners on base to preserve the win and returned the next afternoon to strike out the side and nail down the 3-2 victory.
 
Bonilla, the son of former Major League slugger Bobby Bonilla, joined the Sharks after spending time at both Arizona State and Grand Canyon Universities. The hard-throwing relief option, who can let it fly at 97 mph, also boasts a biting slider that darts in toward right-handed hitters.

Bonilla was selected in the 37^th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2011 after his time at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., by the Colorado Rockies. He was then picked in 2014 in the 25^th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but chose instead to focus on earning his college degree; he's currently a graduate student at HPU.
 
The Sharks (5-0) are aiming to improve on their 27-20 record last year, which included a 17-15 mark in conference play. HPU was picked to finish seventh in a very competitive 10-team PacWest Conference via a preseason vote by league coaches.

Under the guidance of 11^th-year skipper Garett Yukumoto, the program's winningest coach with a 294-196-1 mark, the Sharks are following the pace set by 13 seniors on the roster, including ace pitcher Rico Garcia.

HPU returns to Hans L'Orange Park on Friday, Feb. 19 to begin a five-game set with the newly-renamed Felician University. The squads will play doubleheaders on Saturday (2/5:30 p.m.) and Sunday (noon/3:30 p.m.) following Friday night's single contest at 6 p.m.