Wednesday, February 14, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. –  Northwest Nazarene pitcher Jonathan Zayas turned in possibly the best performance for any GNAC pitcher in the young baseball season last week and has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II National Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.

Zayas, a senior left-hander from Williamsport, Penn., was all but untouchable in Northwest Nazarene’s 4-0 shutout at Stanislaus State last Friday. The veteran southpaw threw seven dominant innings to help the Nighthawks secure the win, carrying a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning where the Warriors managed their only hit of the game. Across the seven innings of work, Zayas allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters on 95 pitches.

Zayas sat down the top of the Warrior’s lineup in order to open the game before allowing his lone walk of the afternoon in the second inning. He proceeded to retire the next 13 batters he faced while defending a 2-0 lead for the Nighthawks. Along with his nine strikeouts, Zayas amassed seven ground outs and five flyouts while retiring 22 of the 24 batters he faced.

The performance also earned Zayas selection as the GNAC Pitcher of the Week and the NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Week. His selection as the National Pitcher of the Week marks the first such honor for any GNAC player this season. It is the first time that a GNAC player has earned national player of the week recognition from the NCBWA since 2021 when Western Oregon’s Blayze Arcano earned the honor.