Akers Lands GAC Player of the Week Honors
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced its baseball weekly honors for week eleven of the 2026 season on Monday, with East Central University's
Tyler Akers earning GAC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
Akers' selection also marks a milestone for the Tigers, as it represents the program's second consecutive weekly award of the 2026 season, an achievement not previously accomplished since 2012.
Akers played a pivotal role in ECU's perfect 4-0 week over Newman University and Southern Arkansas University, helping the Tigers improve to 19-20 overall and 15-12 in GAC play. The strong stretch moved ECU into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings while extending its winning streak to 10 games.
At the plate, the centerfielder from Springtown, Texas, recorded three multi-hit games during the week, highlighted by a flawless 5-for-5 outing in game one against Southern Arkansas. He also crossed the plate three times in three separate games.
Overall, Akers compiled 11 hits, a .647 batting average, a .700 on-base percentage, and an .883 slugging percentage. His offensive production fueled ECU's sweep of then-No. 3 Southern Arkansas, marking the Tigers' third consecutive GAC series sweep.
Akers' performance continues to anchor a surging ECU lineup as the Tigers build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The Tigers will turn their attention to a non-conference matchup against Oklahoma Baptist University tomorrow in Shawnee before returning to Great American Conference play against Arkansas-Monticello on April 17–18.
