Tuesday, May 10, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – After commissioning his own personal hit parade throughout Dehler Park, Central Washington outfielder and GNAC Player of the Week Zach Berryman was honored as the NCBWA West Region Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Berryman batted .632 (12 for 19) during the Wildcats’ four-game series at Montana State Billings. He reached base four times in Thursday’s series opener with two singles, a walk and a hit by pitch. He added another single with a run scored in Thursday’s nightcap.

On Friday, the left fielder made sure the final day of the regular season was a memorable one. In the first game of the doubleheader, Berryman went 6 for 6 with an RBI and four runs scored in Central’s 17-12 victory. Berryman became the sixth player in GNAC history to record six hits in a conference game, with former CWU player Justin Hampson the most recent to do so in April 2021. Berryman was also hit by another pitch to reach base seven times in the nine-inning contest.

Berryman followed up his six-hit performance by going 3 for 4 in Friday’s second game with a double and a run scored. He had an on-base percentage of .682 and a slugging percentage of .684 while scoring six runs over the course of the week. He finished the regular season leading the GNAC with a .379 batting average.

Berryman is the third GNAC position player this season to be named NCBWA West Region Player of the Week, joining MSUB’s Tyler Godfrey from April 4-10 and Mitch Winter from April 18-24. Selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the West Region honoree recognizes the top player from the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest conferences.

Along with Chico State’s Austin McFarlane, the West Region Pitcher of the Week, and the other seven regional player and pitcher honorees, Berryman is now eligible to be selected by the NCBWA as the Division II National Player of the Week, which will be announced Wednesday.