Player of the Week
Ryan Muizelaar, Ball State, Utility
Graduate Student, Grand Forks, N.D. (Jamestown)
Muizelaar went off in Ball State's series finale vs Ohio on Sunday afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a triple and pair of three-run home runs for six RBI to lift the Cardinals to a 17-7 win over the Bobcats. The graduate student scored four runs on the day and finished a double short of the cycle to help Ball State secure the series sweep and jump into first place in the conference standings. Muizelaar, who has been manning third base for the Cardinals this year, went 3-for-5 on Saturday and also collected a hit in Friday's series opener. The right-handed hitter produced a .571/.600/1.143 slash line in 14 at bats during the weekend series along with eight RBI and five runs scored. Muizelaar leads Ball State in batting average (.368) and RBI (29) after the big weekend.
Co-Pitcher of the Week
Brendan Garza, Ball State
Sophomore, Mattawan, Mich.
Garza fired Ball State's first no-hitter since 2019 in a 10-0 win over Ohio on Friday afternoon in Muncie. The sophomore struck out seven and worked around two walks and two hit batsmen for the seven-inning no-no. Garza worked 1-2-3 frames in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings and allowed a runner to get to second base only one. John Baker and Luke Jaksich combined to toss Ball State's most recent no-hitter back on May 11, 2019 against Ohio. Garza improved his record to 3-2 with a 4.05 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 40.0 innings pitched to begin the season.
Co-Pitcher of the Week
Max Vaisvila, Northern Illinois, LHP
Senior, Villa Park, Ill. (Willowbrook)
Max Vaisvila moved to 5-0 on the season with NIU's first one-hitter since 2014 on Saturday in the Huskies' 5-0 win over Bowling Green. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing his first and only hit. Vaisvila is the first Huskie to throw a complete game shutout since Michael Lasiewicz on May 22, 2019 against Miami in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. He had a career-high 14 strikeouts on the day, the second-most in a single game in NIU history. Vaisvila is the first NIU pitcher since Eli Anderson in 2014 to have consecutive complete games. The senior lefty has not allowed a run in his last 17 innings pitched. D1Baseball ranked Vaisvila's game on Saturday as the top pitching performance in the country for March 28th. Vaisvila has 36 strikeouts in his last 37 innings pitched and a 1.22 earned run average over that stretch.
2026 Baseball Players & Pitchers of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 16): Sawyer Solitaria, Kent State (Player); Luke Neiswonger, Central Michigan (Pitcher)
Week 2 (Feb. 23): Jacob Gillis, Ball State (Co-Player); Sawyer Solitaria, Kent State (Co-Player); Evan Holewinski, Kent State (Co-Pitcher); Danny Cihocki, Northern Illinois (Co-Pitcher)
Week 3 (March 2): Tommy Harrison, Miami (Player); Brendan Garza, Ball State (Pitcher)
Week 4 (March 9): Caden Robertson, Northern Illinois (Player); Ethan Stade, Bowling Green (Pitcher)
Week 5 (March 16): Ryan Muizelaar, Ball State (Player); Zac Sohosky, Miami (Pitcher)
Week 6 (March 23): Harrison Bowman, Central Michigan, (Player); Nathan Leininger, Toledo (Pitcher)
Week 7 (March 30): Ryan Muizelaar, Ball State (Player); Brendan Garza, Ball State (Co-Pitcher); Max Vaisvila, Northern Illinois (Co-Pitcher)
