DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released its Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week awards presented by The Game Headwear for the period ending May 3. Baylor redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong and USC Upstate fifth-year infielder Johnny Sweeney were named National Co-Hitters of the Week, while Hawaii junior right-handed pitcher Isaiah Magdeleno was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
This marks the second national hitter of the week honor for Armstrong. The Magnolia, Texas, native had a historic week at the plate for the Bears, tying the program's single-season home run record as part of a five-homer week. He batted .563 (9-for-16) with all nine of his hits going for extra bases (four doubles, five home runs). He also drove in nine runs and scored five of his own, logging his 13th, 14th and 15th multi-hit games and 11th, 12th and 13th multi-RBI games of the season this week in leading BU to a 3-1 record against UT Arlington and Texas Tech.
Dating back to last Sunday at Arizona State, Armstrong has hit seven blasts in his last five games and has now homered in five-consecutive games, becoming the first player in Baylor history to do so. His 21 home runs on the year are now tied for the most in program history, with seven regular-season games still to go, matching Charley Carter's previous record, which has stood for 28 years.
Sweeney batted .500 (7-for-14) with three home runs and 14 RBI while scoring five runs in USC Upstate’s three-game sweep of Gardner-Webb. He posted a 1.214 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base percentage, adding a double and homering in all three games while recording four or more RBI in each contest.
The Millstadt, Illinois, native opened the series with a home run and four RBI in Game 1, adding a sacrifice fly after a three-run shot in the fourth inning. He followed with a 3-for-5 performance in Game 2, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with six RBI, highlighted by a grand slam in the second inning. Sweeney closed the weekend with a 3-for-4 effort and four RBI in Game 3, delivering a go-ahead three-run homer in the third inning and adding an RBI single in the fourth.
Magdaleno was dominant from the opening pitch, becoming the only hurler in the country this year to throw a complete-game shutout with at least 16 strikeouts. He punched out at least one batter in every inning, including multiple strikeouts in each of the first six frames, on his way to allowing just one hit and one walk on 107 pitches.
The right-hander was perfect through 6.1 innings before issuing a walk on a 3-2 pitch that narrowly missed the zone. He carried the no-hitter into the ninth inning before allowing his first hit on an infield chopper that bounced over the head of UH third baseman Tate Shimao with one out in the final frame.
Despite losing the no-hit bid with two outs to go, Magdaleno settled down and picked up a strikeout to strand the tying run at third and preserve the win, setting the tone for UH's three-game sweep of the Highlanders.
Magdaleno's masterpiece marked the first complete-game effort by a Rainbow Warrior pitcher since Randy Abshier on April 22, 2023. Furthermore, he is one of only six pitchers nationally to strike out 16 or more batters in a game this year. In doing so, he became just the third pitcher in program history—and the first since 1979—to strike out at least 16 batters in a game, joining Gerald Ako and program record-holder Derek Tatsuno, who struck out 20.
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2026 Dick Howser Trophy National Players of the Week
• Week ending Feb. 15: Tyce Armstrong, r-Sr., 1B, Baylor, Dee Kennedy, Jr., SS, Kansas State (Hitters); Chris Olivier, Sr., RHP, Lamar (Pitcher)
• Week ending Feb. 22: Will Gasparino, Jr., OF, UCLA (Hitter); Colin Fisher, Jr., LHP, Arkansas, Dax Whitney, So., RHP, Oregon State (Pitchers)
• Week ending March 1: Cider Cannon, Jr., C/RF, Duke, Weber Neels, Sr., C, Minnesota (Hitters); Andrew Herrmann, LHP, Graduate Student, Louisiana (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 8: Lorenzo Carrier, R-Sr., OF, Pitt, Quinton Coats, So., INF, Cincinnati (Hitters); Grayden Harris, So., LHP, Southern Miss (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 15: James Smith IV, Sr., OF/P, Memphis (Hitter); Trey Beard, Jr., RHP, Florida State, Maxx Yehl, r-Jr., LHP, West Virginia. (Pitchers)
• Week ending March 22: Brayden Bakes, Sr., OF, Illinois State; Terrick Thompson-Allen, Gr., OF, SIU-Edwardsville (Hitters); Tyler Fay, r-Jr., RHP, Alabama (Pitcher)
• Week ending March 29: Maddox Haley, Jr., INF, Gonzaga, Brandon Rogers, Sr., CF, Purdue (Hitters); Max Vaisvila, Sr., LHP, Northern Illinois (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 5: Tyson LeBlanc, Jr., INF, Kansas (Hitter); Chase Frey, Jr., LHP, Grand Canyon; Shane Brinham, Fr., LHP, Michigan (Pitchers)
• Week ending April 12: Landon Hairston, So., INF, Arizona State (Hitter); Logan Reddemann, Jr., RHP, UCLA (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 19: Drew Grego, Fr., OF, Nebraska (Hitter); Smith Bailey, So., RHP, Arizona (Pitcher)
• Week ending April 26: Eric Guevara, Jr., INF, Auburn; Jordan Jaffe, Sr., 3B, Liberty (Hitters); Tegan Kuhns, So., RHP, Tennessee; Brett Renfrow, Jr., RHP Virginia Tech (Pitchers)
• Week ending May 5: Tyce Armstrong, r-Sr., 1B, Baylor, Johnny Sweeney, fifth-year, INF, USC Upstate (Hitters); Isaiah Magdaleno, Jr., RHP, Hawaii. (Pitcher)