Tuesday, March 23, 2021

DALLAS, Texas – For the second time this season, Montana State Billings senior first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Cipriano was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region Player of the Week on Monday.

Cipriano had a big week at the plate, batting .400 with a .526 on-base percentage and a 1.267 slugging percentage. He went 6 for 15 with seven runs, nine RBI, a double, four home runs, two walks and two hit by pitches as the Yellowjackets won three of four games at home against Saint Martin’s.

Cipriano opened the series by going 3 for 4 with four runs, seven RBI and three home runs in an 18-7 win on Friday. The first two homers were two-run shots in the fifth and sixth innings while the third was a three-run bomb in the seventh. He closed the series by going 2 for 4 with a solo homer and an RBI single in a 9-6 win on Sunday.

With 36 career home runs and counting, Cipriano is MSUB’s all-time leader and is second on the GNAC All-Time List, just seven shy of the record of 43, held by Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s. Cipriano’s 26 homers in conference games also ranks No. 2 behind Tracy’s 28.

The senior slugger leads the GNAC in slugging percentage (1.068), RBI (30), home runs (11), total bases (63) and hit by pitches (eight). He also has a .407 batting average, a .507 on-base percentage and 21 runs.

Montana State Billings is among those receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings. The three wins over Saint Martin’s were the Yellowjackets’ first of the season.