BISMARCK, N.D. — For the second-straight week, a pair of Bellevue University baseball student-athletes took home weekly honors as the Bruins swept the North Star Athletic Association Player of the Week awards.
Right-hander Easton Brinton (Murray, Utah) took home NSAA Pitcher of the Week honors after earning a pair of wins over Viterbo on Monday and Valley City State on Saturday. Across 14 innings of work, Brinton punched out 18 batters, including a career-high 12 against VCSU. He posted a 1.29 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP allowing just four hits and an opponent batting average of .089.
For the season, Brinton is now 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA. He has struck out 36 batters in 34.1 innings for a 9.44 K/9 and opponents are batting just .252 against him.
Outfielder Jake Lacey (Gillette, Wyo.) collected NSAA Player of the Week accolades after batting .462 with a 1.385 OPS and seven RBI. He homered in three of the first four games on the week, hit safely in five of six games, and reached base safely in all six while doing so at least twice in five of six games.
On the year, Lacey is hitting .387 with a 1.086 OPS. He leads the team with seven doubles, 12 extra-base hits, 29 RBI, nine stolen bases, and 36 hits while ranking second with five home runs and a .645 slugging percentage.
Bellevue, winners of 14-straight overall, sits at 21-4 on the season and tied atop the NSAA standings at 8-0 with Dakota State. The Bruins host Morningside tomorrow at 2 p.m. before welcoming Dickinson State to town for a four-game series this weekend.
