If you have taken a look at recent results in the PBA Southwest Region on PBA.com lately, you have noticed a rare spectacle--the same name listed as the winner of the past four consecutive tournaments held in that region: Shawn Maldonado.

Maldonado surfaced on a national stage this year on the PBA Badger Open finals on CBS Sports Network, where he lost to Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the opening match, and, prior to that, the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles show on ESPN with partner, D.J. Archer, where he and Archer finished fifth. Maldonado is getting very used to the feeling of finishing first these days, however, having won the PBA Dallas Orthopedic Trauma Surgeons Open on Sept. 20; the PBA McAlester OK Southwest Open on Sept. 13; the PBA Grand Hotel, Casino, and Resort Southwest Invitational on Aug. 30, and the PBA Greenville Southwest Open on Aug. 23.

PBA Tour Commissioner, Tom Clark, noted the feat in a Facebook post yesterday, saying, "Our regional records are extensive but we aren't clear yet on whether or not that is a record. We know of players who have won three straight but can't recall four in a row at this point. Regardless, this young man with a unique style and infectiously positive attitude is on fire."

11thFrame.com blogger, Jeff Richgels, later noted on Twitter that a player named Dave Olm told him he won five straight titles in 1996 in the South Region, and "led the 6th, shot 258 and lost."

Record or no, Shawn Maldonado is, as sports commentator, Dan Patrick, used to say in his ESPN days, "en fuego."