With the conclusion of conference play on the horizon, our roster is gearing up for postseason action, and even better, a highly anticipated summer in the Ocean State. In the thick of the end of the semester, between exams and projects, our guys are still producing both in the classroom and on the field. For the ninth week of the collegiate baseball season, three of our guys have really shown out to earn player of the week honors. On the mound, rookie Ryan Featherston had a strong outing to earn Whalers Brewery Pitcher of the Week honors. At the plate, splitting Rienzi Pasta Player of the Week honors are both Aaron Walton and Jasen Oliver. 

In his relief performance against Stanford, freshman Ryan Featherston tallied two innings in the No. 16 Oregon Ducks’ series opening loss at Stanford. Despite the 19-7 loss, Featherston had a strong appearance recording four strikeouts in eight batters faced, with just one walk and one run allowed. The Bakersfield, California native now has 25 strikeouts in 25 ⅓ innings on the year as he prepares for his first summer on the East Coast in the Ocean State. 

At the plate, Indiana baseball rookie Jasen Oliver has taken the Constituent state by storm since taking over the starting role at second base in their three-game stint against Troy. Resetting his own personal records by the week, Oliver has made a big impact, already tallying Big Ten weekly honors earlier in the 2024 campaign. Taking the road to play a series against in-conference rival Minnesota, Oliver tabbed another record despite the Hoosiers dropping the series. In just four registered hits on the weekend, the Almont, Michigan native drove in a career-high of eight RBI’s, a home run, two doubles, and reached base on a walk. The freshman now has four home runs, four doubles, nineteen RBI’s, and is batting .310 on the season. 

Tallying his first Player of the Week accolade is sophomore Aaron Walton from Samford University. In the Bulldogs’ series victory over Western Carolina, the Tennessee native had an outstanding weekend bringing in three runs on five hits, two of which being doubles, scoring five of his own and recording two home runs. Walton now has 25 RBI’s, seven home runs and 36 runs scored while batting a .283. 

We are so proud of our guys this weekend and every weekend, and cannot wait to see all they accomplish in the Ocean State. Be sure to follow our guys on social media to keep up with their success on the season, and follow @OceanStateWaves on Instagram and X to stay up-to-date on your favorite current and former Waves.