Baseball | 2/23/2026 4:00:00 PM
Week 1 PAC Honors (for games played February 9-22)
The weekly award winners have been recognized for their performances during Week 1 of the 2026 season.
PAC Hitter of the Week
Colin Marinpetro • Grove City • Senior first baseman • Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny
Marinpetro went 7-for-11 (.636) with a home run, double and four runs scored in Grove City's three-game trip to North Carolina February 13-14 … He also walked three times, giving him a 1.714 OPS for the week … Marinpetro cracked a two-run home run against Pfeiffer in his first at-bat of the season February 13 on his way to a 3-for-6 effort … He then went 4-for-4 with a double on Valentine's Day against Hampden-Sydney.
PAC Hitter Honor Roll
Allegheny senior infielder Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale); Bethany junior first baseman Gian DeGenova (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park); Chatham senior catcher Matt Brandt (Queensville, Ontario, Canada/Saint Andrew's College); Geneva senior first baseman Kirk Bearjar (Summerhill, Pa./Forest Hills); Waynesburg junior catcher Hunter Mamie (Eighty Four, Pa./Ringgold); Westminster junior catcher Braden Zeigler (New Castle, Pa./Shenango)
PAC Pitcher of the Week
Ben Shields • Allegheny • Junior • Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi
Shields pitched a complete game in Allegheny's 10-2 victory in Game 2 at Regent …He allowed two runs on five hits in 9.0 innings and struck out 10 against only one walk … Shields punched out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth and seventh and closed the ninth by fanning three consecutive pinch hitters … He earned his second collegiate victory in his third start as a Gator.
PAC Pitcher Honor Roll
Bethany senior Sonny Peluchette (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic); Chatham senior Matt Bamford (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon); Waynesburg sophomore Ryan Opfer (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston); Westminster sophmore pitcher Ty Carrier (New Bethlehem, Pa./Redbank Valley)
PAC Newcomer of the Week
Noah Stonerock • Bethany • Freshman pitcher • Circleville, Ohio/Westfall
Stonerock pitched 5.1 innings in his collegiate debut where he allowed only one earned run on five hits and three walks on his way to the winning decision past Pitt-Bradford 5-3 ... He allowed two first-inning singles and the picked off both runners at first base ... Stonerock then allowed just two hits over the four innings.
PAC Newcomer Honor Roll
Allegheny freshman shortstop Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon); Chatham freshman pitcher Kevin Bender (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield); Geneva freshman shortstop Luke Troxell (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy); Grove City freshman catcher Johnny Reyes (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard); Waynesburg freshman outfielder Eli Boring (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe); Westminster freshman pitcher Jacob Harrelson (Canal Fulton, Ohio/Green)
PAC Records & Milestones
Allegheny's Nick Banez posted a team-best .636 on-base percentage and tied for the lead with a .500 batting average in a doubleheader sweep of Regent, as he batted 4-for-8 with a double, five RBIs, four runs, and two stolen bases ... Gian DeGenova batted .455 on the week with three home runs and seven RBI (of the team's 19 runs of the week) to lead Bethany to a 3-1 record in a four-game series against Pitt-Bradford ... Chatham's Matt Brandt finished the week with a team-leading eight RBIs, including a three-run homer in 6-4 win over Muskingum and five more knocked in against Penn State-Greater Allegheny, as the Cougars started 4-0 last week ...Geneva's Kirk Bearjar posted a tremendous effort in an 11-4 game-two victory at Ohio Wesleyan, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs ... Waynesburg's Ryan Opfar came out of the bullpen to toss 6.2 innings of shutout ball during game one of Saturday's doubleheader against Elmira, allowing just thee hits and a walk while striking out three ... Westminster's Braden Zeigler went 1-for-3 in the 2-1 game-one victory at Eastern Mennonite before finishing 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored in the Titans' 7-4 game-two setback.