DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its NCAA Division II National Players of the Week awards for the week ending on March 26, 2023. Pittsburg State junior catcher Nixon Brannan, is the National Hitter of the Week and Minnesota Crookston redshirt senior righty Jake Dykhoff is the National Pitcher of the Week.
Brannan (San Angelo, Texas / Incarnate Word) had an incredible weekend for Pittsburg State, fueling a three-game road sweep of Fort Hays State by going 9-for-12 (.750) at the dish with six extra-base hits and nine RBI. The catcher slashed .750/.750/1.750 for a whopping 2.500 OPS, smashing three doubles and three home runs while touching home seven times. Over the three-game set, Brannan recorded a two, three and four-hit game while homering in all three. Through 26 games this season, he is hitting .429 with 12 home runs and an incredible 50 RBI.
Dykhoff (Wadena, Minn. / Minnesota State C&TC) earned his fourth straight win for Minnesota Crookston with a 7.0-inning complete-game shutout against Concordia-St. Paul on March 25. The righthander tied the program’s single-game record with 14 punchouts, scattering two hits and a walk in a dominant effort. Through six starts in 2023, Dykhoff has gone 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA and a 49:9 K:BB ratio across 38.1 innings.
Division II Regional Players of the Week:
- - Atlantic: Kyle West, Charleston (W.Va.) (Hitter); Jimmy Tooley, Indiana (Pa.) (Pitcher)
- - Central: Nixon Brannan, Pittsburg State (Hitter); Jake Dykhoff, Minnesota Crookston (Pitcher)
- - East: Matt Goehrig, Post (Hitter); Pat Heber, Bentley (Pitcher)
- - Midwest: Thomas Fox, Lewis (Hitter); Brendan Beaver, Ashland (Pitcher)
- - South: Cole Drake, Mississippi College (Hitter); Travis Cole, Christian Brothers (Pitcher)
- - South Central: Tanner Garner, MSU Denver (Hitter); Kade Bragg, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- - Southeast: Kody Hanna, Coker (Hitter); Reece Fields, North Greenville (Pitcher)
- - West: Ryan Cho, Hawaii-Hilo (Hitter); Riley O’Sullivan, Concordia-Irvine (Pitcher)
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