PBL Players of the Week (Week 9)

North Division Batter of the Week: Steve Barmakian, IF, Idaho Falls Chukars

Steve Barmakian recorded at least one hit and drove in a run  in every game this past week, helping Idaho Falls win five of six against the Glacier Range Riders. Overall, he went 12-for-28 with two homers, three doubles, a triple, and 10 RBIs. In fact, the 24-year-old has already matched his home run total from the first half in just the first week of the second half. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling as the Chukars head to Great Falls to take on the Voyagers.

North Division Pitcher of the Week: Elijah Gill, Billings Mustangs

Elijah Gill got his second half off to a great start with two strong outings against Great Falls. He pitched 13 innings, allowing 10 hits and just one earned run while walking four and striking out 15. In his first start, Gill threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts to earn his second win of the season. The 23-year-old righty didn’t factor into a decision in Sunday’s game, but he threw six shutout innings, allowing five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in the Mustangs’ 2-0 win. Over his last four starts, Gill has allowed just three earned runs in 23 ⅔ innings.

South Division Batter of the Week: Alex Jackson, OF, Northern Colorado Owlz

Alex Jackson has started out the second half on an absolute roll. In Northern Colorado’s five-game set with the Vibes, Jackson went a scorching-hot 14-for-24 with three homers, two doubles, two triples, four steals, and nine RBIs. It’s taken Jackson just five games to match his home run total from the first half, and he recorded a hit and RBI in every game this week, getting multiple hits in four of them. The 24-year-old was particularly great on Wednesday going 5-for-6 with two steals and three RBIs, finishing just a homer shy of the cycle.

South Division Pitcher of the Week: Matt Gabbert, Boise Hawks

Matt Gabbert was dominant in his lone start of the week, leading the Hawks to a convincing win against Grand Junction. He went seven innings, allowing six hits and one earned run while not issuing any walks and striking out eight batters. For the season, the right-hander has struck out 51 batters and only issued seven walks in 45 ⅔ innings, giving him an impressive 7.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio.