March 22, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Montoro
304-293-2821
Grand Canyon's Wilson, Gonzaga's Hughes earn weekly honor presented by The Game Headwear
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NCBWA NAMES DICK HOWSER TROPHY
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MORGANTOWN, W. VA. (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week awards presented by The Game Headwear for the period ending March 22. Grand Canyon sophomore shortstop Jacob Wilson was named National Hitter of the Week, while Gonzaga’s sophomore right-handed pitcher Gabriel Hughes was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Wilson had a career week, racking up 18 hits in 23 at bats in five games. The Thousand Oaks, California native, hit .783 in the Lopes' 4-1 week that including a midweek victory at No. 5 Oregon State and a conference sweep of Utah Valley. On the week, he finished with 18 hits, 13 RBIs, nine runs scored, four doubles and three home runs and had a 1.348 slugging percentage.

Wilson started the week with a 4-for-4 game at Oregon State on Tuesday and then went 3-for-5 in Corvallis the next day to help the Lopes earn a 13-7 win over the fifth-ranked Beavers. Returning home for WAC play, he was 11-of-14 at the plate in a three-game sweep of Utah Valley, including a 5-for-5 game on Saturday.

He had four games with multiple runs, five games with multiple hits and multiple RBI, had two walks and did not strike out. At one point, Wilson had base hits in 10 consecutive at bats spanning Friday through Sunday.

After throwing six hitless innings and fanning a career-high 13 batters in a 13-0 win against Pacific on Friday, Hughes earned his fourth win this season in Gonzaga's series opener. The Eagle, Idaho native, ended the night after six frames on the mound - all hitless and scoreless, only allowing one walk and hitting one batter. The Bulldogs went on to win, 13-0, and swept the series with the Tigers after taking a 9-7 win in game two and 5-3 win in the finale.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com.

For more information on the Dick Howser Trophy and the NCBWA Division I National Players of the Week, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro at West Virginia University at 304-293-2821.

2022 Dick Howser Trophy National Players of the Week:
• Week ending Feb. 20: Tommy White, NC State (Hitter); Hunter Barco, Florida (Pitcher)
• Week ending Feb. 27: Jake Gelof, Virginia and Trey Lipscomb, Tennessee (Hitter); Chazz Martinez, Oklahoma (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 6: Nathan Chong, Saint Mary's (Hitter); Sean Bergeron, Western Kentucky and Thatcher Hurd, UCLA (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 13: Daniel Susac, Arizona (Hitter); Parker Stinnett, Mississippi State (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 20: Jacob Wilson, Grand Canyon (Hitter); Gabriel Hughes, Gonzaga (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 27: Josh Hatcher, Kennesaw State and Christopher Sargent, Southern Miss (Hitter); Drew Thorpe, Cal Poly (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 2: Joey Walls, UNLV (Hitter); Drew Beam, Tennesssee and Cooper Hjerpe, Oregon State (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 9: Ryan Cermak, Illinois State and Matt Higgins, Bellarmine (Hitter); Graham Laubscher, St. Thomas and Cooper Rawls, Louisiana (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 16: Matt Coutney, Old Dominion (Hitter); Parker Messick, Florida State (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 23: Max Wagner, Clemson and Ryan Gaudino, Tennessee Tech (Hitter); Ben Seiler, Siena and Shemar Page, Grambling (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 30: David McCabe, Charlotte and Ryan Lasko, Rutgers (Hitter); Ryan Ramsey, Maryland (Pitcher)
• Week ending May 8: Ivan Melendez, Texas (Hitter); Juaron Watts-Brown, Long Beach State (Pitcher)

2022 Dick Howser Trophy National Players of the Month:
• February: Tommy White, NC State (Hitter); Bryce Hubbard, Florida State (Pitcher)
• March: Ivan Melendez, Texas (Hitter); Drew Beam, Tennessee (Pitcher)
• April: Matt Coutney, Old Dominion (Hitter); Parker Messick, Florida State (Pitcher)