(MSU Billings release)
PORTLAND, Ore. – Wyatt Setian slugged his way to Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors announced Monday, after helping the Montana State University Billings baseball team split a four-game series with Western Oregon University over the weekend.
Setian went 6-for-18, with five of his hits going for extra bases en route to a slugging percentage of .833 in the four-game set. “It was a big weekend for Setty,” said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “He came up with some clutch hits for the team and made a big impact defensively. It is a great honor for him to be recognized by the conference.”
The sophomore shortstop leads the GNAC with 48 hits this season, is seventh in batting average at .336, and is sixth in slugging percentage at .608. Two of Setian’s hits on the weekend were home runs, including a solo shot in Game 1 and his first-career grand slam in Game 3. His grand slam came off of reigning GNAC co-Pitcher of the Year Alex Roth, and gave Setian his single-game best in RBIs with four.
Setian also had three doubles on the weekend, giving him 13 on the season which leads the GNAC. His final hit of the weekend was a clutch two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 4, and it gave MSUB a 6-3 cushion in the eventual 7-3 victory.
Setian also played perfect defense at shortstop on the weekend, handling all 10 chances that came his way without an error. Perhaps his best play of the series ended MSUB’s 9-7 Game 2 victory, as he dove on a sharp ground ball up the middle and threw to first just in time to nab the speedy Derek Maiben at first base.
This is Setian’s first-career GNAC Player of the Week award, and it is the eighth honor received by the Yellowjackets this spring. MSUB has had a GNAC Player or Pitcher of the Week for seven straight weeks.
The Yellowjackets (19-17, 19-9 GNAC), who are in first place in the conference standings with three regular-season series left on the schedule, are home again this weekend with a four-game series against Northwest Nazarene University. Doubleheaders are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dehler Park.
