Gallant is Selected as NWC Baseball Hitter Student-Athlete of the Week

By Timothy Walsh, Athletics Communications Writer

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University third baseman Hunter Gallant (So., 3B, Rescue, CA/Ponderosa HS) has been named Northwest Conference Baseball Hitter Student-Athlete of the Week for his efforts during the week of April 22 through April 28.

Gallant batted .524 (11 for 21) in four games: a non-conference tilt against Lewis & Clark College, and a season-ending three-game series against the University of Puget Sound. He achieved a .905 slugging percentage, while scoring seven runs and earning five RBIs.

At Lewis & Clark on Tuesday, April 23, Gallant batted a remarkable 6 for 7 at the plate, including three doubles and a two-run triple in the 11th inning. On Saturday, April 27, he smacked a solo home run to help give Willamette an 11-5 cushion in a critical game against Puget Sound.

On defense, Gallant notched eight assists and one putout against just one error in the four games.

Gallant concluded the season with a team-leading .365 batting average, while finishing second on the Bearcats' roster with a .482 slugging percentage. In the Bearcats' final 16 games, he batted .447, including a 15-game hitting streak that stretched over nearly a month, from March 29 through April 28.

Willamette won three of four games last week, part of a 9-2 spurt to end the season. On Tuesday, the Bearcats defeated L&C 15-14, before notching a 12-5 victory over Puget Sound on Saturday.

The Bearcats concluded their season with a doubleheader on Sunday, April 28, defeating UPS 6-4 in the opener before falling 15-3 in the season finale.

Willamette's win in the opener allowed the Bearcats (20-20 overall, 13-11 NWC) to clinch third place in the conference standings. It is Willamette's best conference finish since taking second place in 2003.