SHREVEPORT, La. - A day after finding out he was the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week, junior Chris Zapata of the Centenary Gents baseball team was selected for this week's D3Baseball.com Team of the Week, released Tuesday, March 6, the fourth edition of the list in 2017.
Despite being ranked #16 Perfect Game, the Gents are not yet in the top-25 in the D3Baseball.com poll. However, Centenary received 28 points in the poll to be the top "Also Receiving Votes" team in the SCAC. Trinity received 26 votes, while Texas Lutheran garnered three votes.
Representing this week's team as the catcher, Zapata is the third Maroon and White player this season and the fourth overall to receive this distinction (Junior Kaleb Kirk and Senior Michael Schimpf, week one 2017; Holden Novak, week one and week five 2016).
Zapata came up big in a pair of Centenary run-ruled wins over Northland College, helping the Gents take the first game 19-2 and the second game 12-2. Zapata went 4-for-5 with seven RBI's, three runs scored, and a walk for a 1.375 slugging percentage in the twinbill.
Despite the rain-soaked contests, Zapata had a home run in both games. He blasted a two-run home run down the left field line in game one to put the Gents up 3-0 and jumpstart a 17-run inning, believed to be the biggest scoring inning in team history. In game two against the Lumberjacks, he smashed a blast that went out over the high wall in center at Shehee Stadium.
Zapata now leads the SCAC in home runs (four) and RBI's (26) in 2017.
Centenary opens up conference play this weekend for a three-game set at Austin College. First pitch on Friday, March 10, is set for 7 p.m. The Gents and 'Roos will play a doubleheader Saturday, March 11, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
