Tweet #theGAC  RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Players of the Week for the ninth week of the 2016 baseball season. Arkansas Tech’s Josh Watkins earned the Player award while Arkansas-Monticello’s Braden Chambers won the Pitcher accolade, the conference office announced on Monday.
 
GAC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Watkins, Arkansas Tech, RF, Sr., Hope Hull, Alabama
Watkins secured his second GAC Player of the Week award after he slugged three home runs against Southeastern Oklahoma State. He hit a pair of homers in the series opener and received an intentional walk in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and as he represented the tying run. He recorded multiple hits and scored multiple runs in all three games.
 
GAC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Braden Chambers, Arkansas-Monticello, RHP, So., Fordyce, Arkansas
Chambers limited Ouachita to two hits and a walk in a complete-game victory on Saturday. He opened by retiring the first 10 batters of game and he finished by facing only three batters above the minimum. He held the Tigers hitless until the seventh inning. He retired the last seven in order to earn his third straight complete-game victory and improve to 6-0.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
- Bryson Allen, Jr., LF, Southeastern Oklahoma State (Hit .500 with two doubles against Arkansas Tech)
- Thomas Bess, Gr., CF, Northwestern Oklahoma State (Went 6-for-10 as Rangers took their series against Southern Nazarene)
- Nick Cerda, Sr., 3B, Arkansas-Monticello (Led Weevils to a sweep against Ouachita by hitting .625 with three RBI)
- Blake Coward, Fr., INF, Harding (Tallied nine hits in four games to extend hit streak to 10; doubled three times and homered)
- Tadarious Hawkins, Sr., CF, Henderson State (Helped HSU win its series vs SAU; went 7-for-15 with three stolen bases)
- Ryan Joyce, Sr., CF, Oklahoma Baptist (Collected eight RBI and hit a pair of home runs as Bison won three of four)
- Trey Mound, Jr., OF, East Central (Went 5-of-12 with a home run, five RBI and four runs scored)
- Michael Page, Jr., INF, Southern Arkansas (Hit .444 and collected three RBI and three runs scored)
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEES
- Chad Bennett, Sr., RHP, Oklahoma Baptist (Registered 10 strikeouts in 5.0 IP against St. Gregory’s; allowed one hit)
- Brady Colbert, Sr., RHP, Southeastern Oklahoma State (Recorded a win and a save against Arkansas Tech; struck out nine)
- Gunnar Cook, Jr., RHP, Southwestern Oklahoma State (Earned complete-game win vs Oklahoma Baptist; struck out 10)
- Pat Delano, Jr., RHP, Northwestern Oklahoma State (Shut out Southern Nazarene; allowed only three hits; struck out four)
- Zach Eschberger, Fr., LHP, Henderson State (Held SAU to one run on three hits in 7.0 IP as Reddies earned series victory)
- Reed Roberts, So., RHP, Harding (Allowed only one run in 6.0 innings of relief over four appearances; earned a save vs ECU)
- Landon Simpson, Sr., RHP, Southern Arkansas (Struck out 11 in 8.2 innings of work across two appearances)