FRISCO – McNeese second baseman Matt Stancliff and Lamar starting pitcher Chris Olivier picked up the Southland Baseball Player of the Week awards for the second week of the 2026 season, which were announced Monday by the conference office.
Hitter of the Week: Matt Stancliff, McNeese - Sr. - INF - Burleson, Texas (Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa)
Matt Stancliff delivered a dominant offensive performance this week, going 7-for-14 (.500) at the plate to lead the Cowboys to a 4-1 record, highlighted by a marquee victory over #2 LSU. Stancliff scored six runs and drove in five RBIs while tallying one double and a home run — his second of the season. He finished the week with an impressive .500 batting average, .600 on-base percentage, and a .786 slugging percentage, consistently producing in key moments.His signature performance came in the conference opener against Nicholls, where Stancliff went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. He was one hit away from tying the program’s single-game record of six hits and became the first Cowboy since the 2022 season to record five hits in a game.
Honorable Mention: Walker Jackson, HCU and Julian Swift, SFA
Pitcher of the Week: Chris Olivier, Lamar - Sr. - RHP - Mandeville, La. (Lakeshore HS)
Chris Olivier threw seven innings of no-hit baseball with 11 strikeouts and just two walks in Lamar's 1-0 Game 2 victory over UTRGV. He has now thrown 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings across three appearances with 28 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA. He retired 20 of the 23 batters he faced as UTRGV managed to hit two balls out of the infield and six groundouts. Olivier also struck out the side in the sixth.
2026 Southland Baseball Players of the Week
| Date |
Hitter of the Week |
Pitcher of the Week |
| Feb. 16 |
Cade Sanchez, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
| Feb. 23 |
Caston Thompson, Nicholls |
Easten Smith, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Mar. 2 |
Matt Stancliff, McNeese |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.