FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Fairfield University's Rob Gariano (Nutley, N.J.) was named the Cape Cod Baseball League/Coca-Cola Pitcher of the Week after an impressive start for the Harwich Mariners. Gariano notched the win after tossing 5.1 shutout innings against the Hyannis Mets, striking out 11 batters, on June 26.

In that game, Gariano retired the first six hitters he faced, scattered four hits, and did not walk a batter to help the Mariners (5-7) to the 3-0 victory.

The start was the second for Gariano in a Mariners uniform. In his first outing on June 14, against the Orleans Firebirds, Gariano scattered one run, seven hits, and a walk over seven innings while striking out eight batters, but received the no-decision.

Gariano (1-0) has a 0.73 ERA in two appearances this summer. The right hander has struck out 19 batters in 12.1 innings of work and has not issued a walk.

Gariano completed his junior season at Fairfield during the 2009 campaign and earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) First Team honors for the second-straight year. He finished the season with a 5-4 record and a 3.43 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 12 appearances. He was named MAAC Pitcher of the Week on four occasions this year and tossed four complete games. His career-best 88 strikeouts are second-highest single season total at Fairfield, 10 shy of Keefe Cato's single season record of 98 set in 1979. Against St. Peter's on April 14, he tossed a one-hit, complete-game shutout with a career-high 15 strikeouts en route to MAAC Pitcher of the Week honors and a spot on the College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports National All-Star Lineup. Gariano's career strikeouts total is 219, good for second all-time at Fairfield, and he is approaching Cato's record of 239 set in 1979. Gariano is also tied for tenth on the career innings pitched list (229.0) and is closing in on the top-10 in career wins and appearances.

Each week, Cape Cod Coca Cola singles out one player and pitcher from the Cape Cod Baseball League who has performed above and beyond the call of duty. While there are certainly many players who perform well each week in the Cape League, the Coca Cola award recognizes an individual player and pitcher whose feats on the playing field in some way stand above all others. Selections are made by Stats, Inc., provider of official statistics for the CCBL.