Nike® #HLBASE Players of the Week (March 8)
INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue Fort Wayne’s Braedon Blackford hit .429 with a 1.357 slugging percentage as he hit four home runs to earn Nike #HLBASE Batter of the Week. Nick Gilhaus of Milwaukee tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in relief in a shutout road win at Minnesota to claim Nike #HLBASE Pitcher of the Week as the Horizon League announced its baseball weekly honors on Wednesday.
#HLBASE Batter of the Week
Braedon Blackford | Purdue Fort Wayne | Graduate Student | Infielder | Peoria, Ill.
Blackford batted .429 and slugged 1.357 with four home runs in 14 at bats over four games played in Winston-Salem, N.C. this past weekend. He also recorded one double, seven RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and 19 total bases. The Peoria, Ill. native began a doubleheader on Saturday against Cornell going 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double to drive in two runs and score three times in a 6-3 victory. He ended the week driving in five more runs against Ball State on Sunday as he blasted two more long balls and finished the day going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk.
#HLBASE Pitcher of the Week
Nick Gilhaus | Milwaukee | Junior | Right-Handed Pitcher | Bloomington, Ill.
Gilhaus tossed 6.2 innings of scoreless relief on Wednesday in helping Milwaukee shut out Minnesota by a 3-0 score. It was the longest outing of his career as he struck out seven Gophers and scattered five hits and two walks en route to his first win of the season. Gilhaus took over in the bottom of the third and got in and out of trouble while stranding a pair on base. He continued through the fourth and fifth, allowing one over the minimum before a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth. He continued to roll and worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth to send the game to the ninth and the eventual win.
2023 Nike® #HLBASE Batters of the Week
February 21 – Noah Fisher, Northern Kentucky
February 28 – Trey Law, Youngstown State & Liam McFadden-Ackman, Northern Kentucky
March 8 – Braedon Blackford, Purdue Fort Wayne
2023 Nike® #HLBASE Pitchers of the Week
February 21 – Jake Shirk, Wright State
February 28 – Travis Perry, Youngstown State
March 8 – Nick Gilhaus, Milwaukee