Tuesday, April 12, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – A day after earning conference honors for their historic and dramatic exploits on the diamond, two GNAC players have earned regional recognition for their performances.

Northwest Nazarene’s Haden Keller, the GNAC Pitcher of the Week, and Montana State Billings’ Tyler Godfrey, the GNAC Player of the Week, were named the West Region Pitcher and Player of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). It is the first time the GNAC has claimed either award during the 2022 season.

On Saturday, Keller threw the sixth no-hitter in GNAC history and the second in Northwest Nazarene’s Division II history. Working around three walks, two hit batters and a three-base error by the right fielder that allowed an unearned run to score, Keller shut down Central Washington in a 3-1 victory. Keller recorded 10 strikeouts and struck out the side in the seventh and final inning. He threw 99 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.

Keller is enjoying a fantastic two-way season for the league-leading Nighthawks. On the mound, Keller is 5-2 in nine starts, ranking third in the conference with a 3.05 ERA and fourth with 47 strikeouts. When he’s not pitching, Keller plays the outfield for NNU and ranks fifth in the GNAC with a .346 batting average, adding five home runs with 19 RBI. During his no-hitter, Keller drove in the only earned run of the ballgame with an RBI fielder’s choice.

Godfrey created two big moments during MSUB’s Friday doubleheader against Western Oregon, collecting a walk-off hit in both games. In the opener, Godfrey hit a two-run single in the sixth inning and the game-winning RBI single in the ninth that completed a three-run MSUB comeback in the final inning of an 8-7 win. In the nightcap, Godfrey opened the scoring with a two-run double in the first. With the score tied and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Godfrey clubbed a full-count pitch over the fence for a game-winning solo home run to seal a 5-4 victory.

Over the four-game series, Godfrey batted .429 (6 for 14) with two runs scored and seven RBI. He is batting .306 with two home runs, seven doubles and 18 RBI this season for the Yellowjackets while splitting time between second base and designated hitter.

Along with the seven other regional Player and Pitchers of the Week, Keller and Godfrey are now eligible to be selected by the NCBWA as the Division II National Players of the Week, which are announced weekly on Wednesdays.