FRISCO – New Orleans outfielder Kruise Newman and pitcher Luke Lycette picked up the Southland Baseball Player of the Week awards for the 14th week of the 2026 season, which were announced Monday by the conference office.
Hitter of the Week: Kruise Newman, New Orleans - Sr. - OF - Richmond, Ky. (Tennessee Weslyan)
Newman finished the season on a tear by going 7-for-14 with three homers and nine RBI in four Privateer wins this past week. He homered in each of the Privateers' wins against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, driving his season total to 14 home runs.
Pitcher of the Week: Luke Lycette, New Orleans - Sr. - RHP - Brandon, Miss. (William Carey)
Lycette spun a gem as he pitched the first nine-inning complete game by a Privateer since 2023. He got his first start of the season and took off with it as he held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to two unearned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. He threw 92 of his 136 pitches for strikes.
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 |
| Mar. 9 |
Armani Raygoza, UTRGV
Levi Castilleja, HCU |
Eric Nachtsheim, McNeese |
| Mar. 16 |
Jake Weaver, UIW |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
| Mar. 23 |
Armani Raygoza, UTRGV |
Dylan Marionneaux, Northwestern State |
| Mar. 30 |
Thomas Marsala III, Northwestern State |
Chase Mayer, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Apr. 6 |
Josh Ibe, Stephen F. Austin |
Luke Lycette, New Orleans |
| Apr. 13 |
Ben Robichaux, Southeastern |
Dylan Marionneaux, Northwestern State |
| Apr. 20 |
Greyson Shafer, Nicholls |
Chris Olivier, Lamar |
| Apr. 27 |
Christian Smith-Johnson, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Dylan Marionneaux, Northwestern State |
| May 4 |
Danny Barbero, McNeese |
Eric Nachtsheim, McNeese |
| May 11 |
Kruise Newman, New Orleans |
Luke Lycette, New Orleans |
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.