Wednesday, March 10, 2021

DALLAS, Texas – After being named the GNAC Baseball Player of the Week, 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 Wednesday.

Cipriano led the Yellowjackets with a .533 batting average, .562 on-base percentage and 1.333 slugging percentage in a four-game series at UC Colorado Springs on Friday and Saturday. He went 8 for 15 in the series with five runs, 11 RBI, three doubles and three home runs, the second of which made him MSUB’s all-time leader in homers.

In Friday’s opener, Cipriano went 1 for 4 with a solo home run to tie the MSUB record of 27, held by Ryan Myers (2017-18). In the second game of Friday’s twinbill, he went 2 for 4 with a run, a two-RBI double in the first inning and an RBI single in the second.

Cipriano went off in the third game, going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a grand slam to give him the record. He went right back to work in the finale, closing the series by going 2 for 3 with a two-run homer.

With 29 home runs and counting, Cipriano is now tied for second on the GNAC all-time list with Central Washington’s Jamie Nilsen (2005-08). The GNAC record is 43, held by Chandler Tracy (2012-15) of Saint Martin’s.

Cipriano has a .433 batting average and a GNAC-leading 1.000 slugging percentage, which ranks 31st in Division II. He leads the conference in doubles (five) and hit by pitches (four) and ranks second in RBI (14) and home runs (four).

Montana State Billings entered the season at No. 4 in the first NCBWA Division II West Region Rankings. The Yellowjackets will stay on the road to open conference play, playing at Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Saturday.