Minnesota, USC, Indiana Garner Baseball Weekly Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its baseball weekly awards for games played February 24-March 1, 2026.

Player of the Week
Weber Neels, Minnesota
Sr. – C – Cottage Grove, Minn. – East Ridge HS

• Batted .714, going 10-for-14 on the week with four home runs and nine RBI
• Scored nine runs, slugged 1.714 and compiled 24 total bases in Minnesota’s four-game split against Kansas
• Swiped a pair of bases and defensively made 46 putouts behind the plate, fielding 1.000
• The 2025 All-Big Ten Second Team recipient earns his first Big Ten Player of the Week Award
• Last Gopher named Big Ten Player of the Week: Ike Mezzenga (May 13, 2024)

Pitcher of the Week
Mason Edwards, USC
Jr. – S-LHP – Los Angeles, Calif. – Palisades Charter HS

• Tossed seven scoreless innings as No. 25 USC took a no-hitter into the 11th inning in a 6-0 win at Cal Poly on Friday
• Matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts and stranded runners on the corners on his 105th pitch to end the seventh
• Has allowed just one hit and no runs in three starts this season
• The third-year southpaw receives his first Big Ten weekly accolade
• Last Trojan tabbed Big Ten Pitcher of the Week: Grant Govel (February 16, 2026)

Freshman of the Week
Brayden Ricketts, Indiana
R-Fr. – DH – Brampton, Ontario – Jean Augustine Secondary

• Stockpiled 10 hits on the week, batting .500 in a four-game series at Western Kentucky
• Extended his hitting streak to eight games and reached base at a .583 clip
• Stroked two home runs, drove in seven runs, slugged 1.483, and amassed 18 total bases
• Finished the week with a five RBI performance in a 7-3 win on Sunday
• Last Hoosier chosen Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Jake Hanley (May 5, 2025)

Team rankings are the highest position listed among the five polls: Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game, USA Today

2026 Big Ten Baseball Weekly Awards
Feb. 16
PL: Jackson Freeman, Jr., OF, NU
P: Grant Govel, So., S-RHP, USC
F: Angel Laya, Fr., OF, ORE

Feb. 23
PL: Will Gasparino, Jr., CF, UCLA
P: Wylan Moss, So., R-RHP, UCLA
F: AJ Putty, Fr., 1B, ILL

March 2
PL: Weber Neels, Sr., C, MINN
P: Mason Edwards, Jr., S-LHP, USC
F: Brayden Ricketts, R-Fr., DH, IND