NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced its weekly baseball honorees on Monday, recognizing Illinois Wesleyan sophomore AJ Weller as the Hitter of the Week and North Central sophomore Payton Diaz as the Pitcher of the Week.
Hitter: AJ Weller, Illinois Wesleyan
Weller earned the hitting award after batting .588 (10-for-17) over four games for the Titans. He slugged 1.143 with five runs batted in, six runs scored, three doubles, one triple and one home run, while striking out only once.
His week included his first career five-hit game in a win over Augustana, where he finished a home run shy of the cycle in a single game. Weller also contributed a three-run home run during an 11-run sixth inning that helped Illinois Wesleyan erase an 8-0 deficit in a 16-14 victory over Illinois College.
Pitching: Payton Diaz, North Central
On the mound, Diaz received the pitching honor after allowing no earned runs over 6.2 innings in a start against MSOE. The NCC right-hander limited MSOE to five hits and did not issue a walk while recording six strikeouts, helping hand the Raiders their ninth loss of the season. Diaz retired 12 consecutive batters between the first and fifth innings and finished the week with a 0.00 ERA.
2026 CCIW Baseball Student-Athletes of the Week
Hitter
April 27: AJ Weller, Illinois Wesleyan
April 20: Parker Wyatt, North Central
April 13: Michael Ossenfort, Carthage
April 6: Riley Hendren, Augustana
March 30: Evan Becker, Carroll
March 23: Taylor Joseph, North Park
March 16: Zach Quimby, Augustana
March 9: Kaileb Hackman, Augustana
March 2: Payton Diaz, North Central
Feb. 24: AJ Weller, Illinois Wesleyan
Pitcher
April 27: Payton Diaz, North Central
April 20: Tyler Fredrick, Carroll
Apri 13: Blake Nettleton, Augustana; Caleb Akins, Millikin
April 6: David Levengood, Wheaton
March 30: Payton Diaz, North Central
March 23: Sam Jackson, North Park
March 16: Aidan Conners, Augustana
March 9: Jackson Nuese, North Park
March 2: Erik Jaschinski, Carroll
Feb. 24: Nolan Reiman, Millikin
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).