Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

D3baseball.com Team of the Week - Week 3

Mar. 4, 2026 - Following a performance in the North Central College baseball season opener that saw Yuhki Yamada a double shy of the cycle, D3baseball.com named Yamada to the Team of the Week, the first national weekly recognition for the Cardinals since 2023.

The junior hit .556 (5-for-9) during the Cardinals' opening weekend. He went 4-for-5 in North Central's 13-9 win over Ripon, collecting two singles, a triple and a home run. His solo shot in the eighth inning broke an 8-8 tie, and his two-run triple pushed the Cardinals' lead to 12-9 before he scored the final run of the game on a Parker Wyatt double.

The Cardinal shortstop is the first North Central baseball player honored since former All-American pitcher Nolan Shannon was honored in March of 2023. Yamada joins Payton Diaz as the Cardinals honored this week, as Diaz was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Hitter of the Week.

North Central heads south for a five-game stretch in Texas, beginning with a three-game set at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The first game is set for 6 p.m. at Red Murff Field in Belton, Texas.