WACO, Texas – Butch Ballez of Texas Wesleyan University was selected as the Red River Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week for March 17-23, while Will Schneider of Northwood University (Texas) was named the RRAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the same dates.

Ballez, a junior second baseman from El Paso, Texas, lifted the Rams to a three-game sweep over the NAIA’s 18^th-ranked team, Bacone College (Okla.). In the series, he was 8-of-10 at the plate with seven runs scored, six RBIs and five walks. He was 2-of-4 in the opener with a double and three RBIs as TWU prevailed, 17-2. He didn’t make an out the rest of the weekend while going 6-for-6 and belting two more doubles and a home run. He was also successful of two of three stolen base attempts. As a result, TWU took an early lead in the RRAC’s North Division at 3-0 in the conference with an 18-8 mark overall.

Schneider, a junior pitcher from Fort Worth, Texas, took the mound in Northwood’s first conference action of the season and tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout as the Knights defeated Paul Quinn College (Texas), 17-0. Schneider struck out seven and walked one in seven innings of work. Northwood took two games in the three game set for a 2-1 RRAC North Division record with a mark of 13-12 on the season.

Donald Enos of Huston-Tillotson University (Texas), Ryan Macdonald of University of Texas at Brownsville, Scotty Smith of Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Texas) and Chaney Stout of Northwood University (Texas) were additional player of the week nominees. TWU’s Joey Evans, SAGU’s Josiah Hensley, HT’s Jeremy Macklin and UTB’s Julian Moya were nominated for this week’s pitcher award.

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