KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced new Athletes of the Week from the seventh week of the 2026 baseball season. Rogers State’s Andres Contreras earned the Hillcats’ first Hitter of the Week honor of the season and Missouri Southern’s Owen Schneider claimed the Lions’ first Pitcher of the Week honor.
MIAA HITTER OF THE WEEK: Andres Contreras, Rogers State
Andres Contreras played a huge role as the designated hitter in No. 24-ranked Rogers State’s 4-0 week, which included a 3-0 MIAA series sweep of Northeastern State, and a 10-run win over Northwestern Oklahoma State. Through 19 plate appearances, the senior slashed .632/.667/.1.053 with 12 hits, 11 RBI and eight runs scored, leading the league for the week in almost every category. He also had one walk and added four extra-base hits with two home runs and a pair of doubles.
MIAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Owen Schneider, Missouri Southern
Owen Schneider went 1-0 over his one appearance on the mound for the Lions last week. The redshirt-junior leftie from St. Louis pitched 7.2 innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits with a season-best seven strikeouts in Missouri Southern’s series-opening 9-3 victory over Washburn. Schneider registered a 1.17 ERA and a .087 opponent batting average in the win.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
MIAA HITTERS
Connor Earleywine, Arkansas-Fort Smith
Connor Earleywine hit .700 with 10 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, four RBI, seven walks and was 3-for-3 on stolen bases as the Lions earned a 3-0 MIAA sweep of Newman over the weekend. The senior went 3-for-4 with four runs, a triple, and two RBI in For Smith’s 16-4 series-opening win. In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Earleywine was 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles, helping the Lions to the 12-1 win. He ended the series 1-for-3 with four walks, three runs, two RBI and two stolen bases to earn UAFS’s first series sweep of the season.
Frankie Santiago, Emporia State
Frankie Santiago finished the Hornets’ MIAA series against Central Oklahoma 4-for-12 with three walks, three home runs, nine RBI and four runs scored. In Emporia State’s 12-3 win in game two, Santiago hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, then added a sixth-inning grand slam from the opposite side of the plate as he finished the game with five RBI. The junior drove in three more runs in the series finale with another home run, giving him ten long balls on the season.
Levi Risenhoover, Washburn
Levi Risenhoover put up big numbers for the Ichabods in three conference games last week. The junior went 9-for-14 at the plate (.643) with a .688 on-base percentage and a 1.214 slugging percentage while driving in five RBI and scoring four runs. In Washburn’s one-run loss to No. 5-ranked Central Missouri last Tuesday (March 10), Risenhoover went 3-for-3 against the Mules at the plate with a home run and a triple while reaching base in all five appearances with a walk and a hit by pitch.
MIAA PITCHERS
Tucker Russell, Fort Hays State
Tucker Russell tossed a complete game in Fort Hays State's 8-3 game two road win over Missouri Western last Saturday (March 14). The junior lefty scattered eight hits across nine innings of work, allowing three runs while striking out a trio of Griffons. Russell lowered his ERA in conference games to 2.92, third-best in the league amongst qualified pitchers.
Dillon Dibrell, Rogers State
Dillion Dibrell pitched effectively for the Hillcats in their 10-2 win against Northeastern State in game two of Rogers State’s MIAA series sweep. The junior leftie threw 6.0 innings while allowing just four hits, two walks and one earned run. He struck out four batters en route to his fourth winning decision of the season.
Jett Frazier, Arkansas-Fort Smith
Jett Frazier tossed a complete game in Arkansas-Fort Smith’s 12-1 win over Newman in game two of the Lions’ MIAA series sweep. The junior allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings while striking out four batters.
ALSO NOMINATED:
HITTERS – Cooper Howell [Fort Hays State], Issac Huettl [Missouri Western], Blake Jones [Missouri Southern], Chance Pair [Northeastern State]
PITCHERS – Cale Coursey [Missouri Western], Jackson Dillingham [Northeastern State]
WEEK ONE HITTER: Derek Woolwine, Fort Hays State
WEEK ONE PITCHER: Colby Deaver, Emporia State
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WEEK TWO HITTER: Landin Midgett, Pittsburg State
WEEK TWO PITCHER: Cole Evans, Missouri Western
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WEEK THREE HITTER: Drake Lee, Central Oklahoma
WEEK THREE PITCHERS: Braxton Jones, Central Oklahoma and Colby Deaver, Emporia State
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WEEK FOUR HITTER: Noah Steele, Emporia State
WEEK FOUR PITCHER: Colby Deaver, Emporia State
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WEEK FIVE HITTER: Noah Steele, Emporia State
WEEK FIVE PITCHER: Colby Deaver, Emporia State
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WEEK SIX HITTER: Cole Kreisel, Central Missouri
WEEK SIX PITCHER: Gavin Williams, Central Missouri
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WEEK SEVEN HITTER: Andres Contreras, Rogers State
WEEK SEVEN PITCHER: Owen Schneider, Missouri Southern