Player of the Week
Avery Thielman, Western Michigan, INF
Senior, Kalamazoo, Mich. (Kalamazoo)
Avery Thielman was key in Western Michigan's series win at Eastern Michigan, going 7-for-12 (.583) for the series with three home runs, eight RBIs, a .643 on-base percentage and a 1.417 slugging percentage against the Eagles. After the Broncos dropped Friday's opener, Thielman had a pair of hits on Saturday, including an early three-run homer to help the visitors grab the early edge in a 12-7 win. The senior capped the week by going 4-for-4 and reaching in all five plate appearances in Sunday's rubber match, posting his first career multi-homer game and a career-high five RBIs in WMU's series-securing victory.
Pitcher of the Week
Ethan Stade, Bowling Green, LHP
Redshirt Senior, New Ulm, Minn. (New Ulm)
Ethan Stade struck out a career-high 14 batters against UMass on Saturday (April 18), matching the most by any MAC pitcher in a game this season. Stade sent down the first 12 batters he faced, including 10 on strikeouts. Over seven innings, Stade held the Minutemen to a batting average of just .087. His 14 Ks are the most by a Falcon in at least 25 seasons with game-by-game individual stats dating back to 2001. He came shy of the program, and MAC, record set at 20 by Bob Bahna on April 29, 1961. Stade now has eight or more strikeouts in six of his last seven appearances, including each of his last five.
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)
Week 8 (April 6): Tommy Harrison, Miami (Player); Carter Cox, Northern Illinois (Pitcher)
Week 9 (April 13): Gavin O’Brien, UMass (Player); Adam Merritt, UMass (Pitcher)
Week 10 (April 20): Avery Thielman, Western Michigan (Player); Ethan Stade, Bowling Green (Pitcher)
