SEWARD, Neb. – Following a no-hit performance last week, Concordia University junior Nick Little has been named the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The organization announced Little as an award winner on Thursday (March 5) along with the Hitter of the Week and Rookie of the Week. The NAIA National Office will be begin handing out its national baseball player of the week awards on March 17.
A break in the schedule meant that Little went roughly three weeks between his first and second starts of the campaign. The Lithia, Fla., native returned to the mound on Feb. 29 and put together the program’s first no-hitter since 1979 (excluding the combined no-hitter in 2016). In the seven-inning outing, Little struck out 10 Waldorf hitters and surrendered just one walk and one hit-by-pitch. The Bulldogs won the game 10-0 as part of a four-game sweep of the Warriors.
Little is back at Concordia two years after earning GPAC Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2018. In that ’18 season, Little went 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 91.1 innings. So far this season, Little is 2-0 and has allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings while striking out 21 batters.
Head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad, now 10-2 overall, will continue action on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., when it begins a seven-game swing at the Tucson Invitational.