NEW YORK—Junior starting pitcher Gordon Graceffo (Cranford, N.J.) was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week in an announcement by the conference office on Monday afternoon, one day after he fired a five-hitter against Hofstra in his first collegiate complete game shutout. This is the second straight week to begin the season and the sixth time in his career that Graceffo has garnered BIG EAST weekly honors.
 
Villanova opened its home schedule on Sunday with a doubleheader against the Pride and swept the games by scores of 5-0 and 3-1. Graceffo pitched the opening game and was in dominant form, needing just 96 pitches and throwing 70 strikes to finish off the shutout. He scattered five hits without a walk during the game and struck out seven while allowing just two base runners to advance into scoring position. Graceffo pitched the first four innings with the game scoreless and the next four innings with a narrow 1-0 lead before the Wildcats scored four times in their final turn at the plate.
 
After allowing a leadoff double to start the game, Graceffo stranded the base runner at third base to end the top of the first inning unscathed. The only other runner to reach even as far as second base came in the top of the eighth inning when a one-out single and a sacrifice bunt for the second out briefly allowed Hofstra to get what was then the potential tying run into scoring position. Graceffo topped out at 94 on the radar guns during the game and hit 91 on a swinging third strike to end the eighth inning. He retired the side in order in the second, fifth and ninth innings.
 
Villanova played terrific defense behind Graceffo, with junior catcher Will Reiner (Madison, Conn.) throwing out would-be base stealers at second base to end both the third and fourth innings. Graceffo also induced a 5-4-3 double play in the seventh inning when he faced the minimum number of batters and needed only five pitches to get through the inning. His five-hitter was the first nine-inning complete game and the first shutout by a Wildcats starting pitcher since Jimmy Kingsbury threw a one-hit shutout against La Salle on March 17, 2019.
 
After going nearly seven years without having a BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week nominee, Villanova has had different hurlers win the award in consecutive seasons. Current sophomore Danny Wilkinson earned the recognition last season after he recorded 11 outs in his collegiate debut to save a 2-1 upset win over No. 3 Arizona State.
 
Graceffo's six career weekly BIG EAST honors (five Honor Roll selections prior to today's Pitcher of the Week award) are the third-most by any Wildcats pitcher, trailing only Hunter Schryver (nine Honor Roll selections) and Josh Eidell (seven Honor Roll mentions).
 
Villanova will return to action this coming Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when it hosts Delaware.