The Northeast Conference announced on April 14 that Jonathan Gonzalez Perez, a senior catcher for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Hawks, has been selected as the conference’s co-player of the week.
This recognition highlights Gonzalez Perez’s performance and contributions to his team during recent games. The award underscores his impact on both offense and defense for UMES baseball.
“Jonathan was locked in this weekend,” said head coach. “He produced the number of RBI that we needed with his three home runs and was also very solid behind the dish. We are very happy and proud of him.”
During a midweek game against Georgetown and a three-game series against Delaware State, Gonzalez Perez had three multi-hit games, finishing the week with six hits in eighteen at-bats, three home runs, ten runs batted in (RBI), and five runs scored. He became the first Hawk since Faheem Hammett in 1998 to reach double-digit home runs in a season.
At the end of week nine, Gonzalez Perez ranked among the top ten players in six major statistical categories within the conference: fifth in slugging percentage (.664), eighth in on-base plus slugging (1.086), ninth in hits (40), second in RBI (44), third in home runs (10), and second in sacrifice flies (five).
Since joining the Northeast Conference in 2023, UMES has now seen two players earn NEC player of the week honors. Gonzalez Perez joins his teammate from last season as recipients of this recognition. He is also UMES’s second weekly award winner this year after another teammate received Rookie of the Week and Pitcher of the Week awards earlier this season.
Gonzalez Perez was recently named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watchlist. He is expected to play next when UMES hosts Mercyhurst beginning Friday, April 17.
