East Victory, Barczi Crowned MVP, Davis Takes Home Run Derby Title
July 21, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
Bristol, CT - The East Division defeated the West Division 3-0 in the 2024 NECBL All-Star Game Sunday night at Muzzy Field.
Catcher Colin Barczi (Sanford, C, Vanderbilt) won the 2024 All-Star Game MVP after going 1-for-2 on the night with a single to tip off play at the top of the first inning.
The East Division, comprised of Newport, Ocean State, Martha's Vineyard, Mystic, North Shore and Sanford, struck early with a single to left field by Barczi driving in CJ Willis (Sanford, OF/1B, Quinnipiac) in the opening inning.
The West Division - Upper Valley, Vermont, Keene, North Adams, Bristol, Danbury and Valley - cruised through the second, third, and fourth innings with Emmett Tolis (Bristol, RHP, Fairfield), Ryan Oshinskie (Bristol, RHP, Brown) and Nick Falter (Vermont, RHP, Denison) each taking the mound and tossing a scoreless frame.
Reese Robinett (Martha's Vineyard, 1B, Arkansas) of the East side led off the top of the fifth with a single, and Tyler Hare (Newport, RF/1B, Wofford) followed with a double. Dixon Williams (Newport, 3B/2B, East Carolina) and Aaron Walton (Ocean State, OF, Arizona) walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Andrew Yu (Martha's Vineyard, C/1B, Duke), who then delivered a single to right field, driving in Hare and adding another run for the East Division.
The East Division continued its rally in the ninth. Hare doubled to center field and later stole third base, while Williams and Walton walked once again to load the bases. Yu then came through with another clutch single to right field, driving in Hare and securing the win.
Despite falling short, the West managed to rack up seven hits, including doubles from Josiah Ragsdale (Vermont, CF/OF, Boston College) and Dante D'Amore (Danbury, 1B, Sacred Heart).
On the mound, the East side was dominant, as ten All-Star pitchers combined for nine shutout innings, with Aidan Coleman (Newport, RHP, Pittsburgh) and Connor Harris (Mystic, RHP, Winthrop) both striking out a game-high two batters.
View the box score for the 2024 All-Star Game here. To read more about the 2024 NECBL All-Star Game visit the NECBL website.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Danbury's Jakobi Davis Crowned 2024 Home Run Derby Champ, Marking Second Consecutive Win for the Westerners
Bristol, CT - Danbury Westerners outfielder Jakobi Davis (Cornell) was crowned the 2024 NECBL Home Run Derby champion on Sunday afternoon at Muzzy Field after hitting 12 total home runs across two rounds of play. Davis hit three bombs in the final round, just enough to edge Martha's Vineyard Scott Seeker (Mt. St. Mary's). Seeker was the runner-up with two homers in the final round and eight total on the day. In the Championship Round, the two finalists were allotted four minutes to hit with a thirty-second timeout available for use at any time. Home run totals reset for the championship round.
13 players competed in the Home Run Derby, with all the sluggers taking their licks in Round 1, where they had three minutes to hit as many home runs as possible without timeouts or stoppages. At the end of Round 1, Davis claimed the top spot with nine home runs, Seeker was the runner-up with six and Jayden Hylton (Stetson) finished third with five homers.
Championship Round:
Jakobi Davis (Danbury, CF/OF, Cornell): Davis wrapped up the final round with three homers, clinching the top spot and surpassing Seeker, who hit two. The Cornell slugger walked it off early, having secured the victory with plenty of time to spare-over a minute and a half left in the round. Davis blasted his first homer on just his second swing, sending a towering shot over the right-field wall. He quickly followed up with his second and third homers, demonstrating he could have likely hit even more if needed. His performance made him the second consecutive Danbury Westerner to snag the derby title and the third in the team's history.
Scott Seeker (Martha's Vineyard, 1B/RF, Mt. St. Mary's): Seeker ended the final round with two home runs. With just over a minute left, Seeker was still searching for his first dinger. After using his 30-second timeout to reset, he came back and launched his first bomb over the right-field wall with 50 seconds remaining, then smacked a buzzer-beater for his second, laying some pressure on Davis.
Round 1:
Jakobi Davis (Danbury, CF/OF, Cornell): Davis led off the derby with a bang, leading Round 1 with nine home runs, with three consecutive bombs in three swings. Across ten games this season with the Westerners, the lefty has gone yard once, driven in four runs, crossed the plate 14 times and racked up nine stolen bases.
Brady Dever (North Shore, CF/1B, Brown): The second batter was another lefty, Dever, who finished with one homer in the first round. The Texas native, who hit three homers at Brown this past year, has one home run, seven RBIs, and eight runs scored in 24 games with the Navigators this summer.
Tyler Hare (Newport, RF/1B, Wofford): Hare blasted two home runs in the first round of the derby, with one being a dramatic buzzer-beater. Across 29 games with the Gulls this season, the right-hander has three homers, 21 RBIs, 27 runs and eight stolen bases.
Jonathan Hogart (Valley, OF, Murray State): Hogart crushed one homer in today's competition. Hailing from Kentucky, the outfielder has played in 34 games with the Blue Sox this season, racking up seven homers, 31 RBIs, 31 runs scored and nine stolen bases.
Jayden Hylton (Mystic, OF, Stetson): Hylton hit five loud homers, easily clearing the left-field wall. The right-handed batter had four homers with the Sharks last summer but none this year; across eight games this summer with the Schooners, he has five runs scored and two stolen bases.
Cole Fellows (Upper Valley, OF/1B, Columbia): Fellows finished Round 1 with two homers on the clock. In 31 games with the Nighthawks this season, the Ivy League product hasn't gone yard yet but has smacked six doubles, two triples, scored 16 runs and driven in 14 RBIs.
DJ Perron (North Adams, Rhode Island): Perron didn't manage to go deep in today's derby, but he's had a strong season with the SteepleCats. The Massachusetts native has hit 5 homers, driven in 14 RBIs, and scored 19 runs, showcasing his power and consistency.
Zach Plasschaert (Ocean State, Arizona): Plasschaert tied with a few other batters on the board, hitting two home runs in Round 1. In 27 games with the Waves, the two-way player has belted three homers, knocked in 13 RBIs, and scored nine runs. On the mound, he tossed a scoreless inning, fanning two batters.
Ripken Reese (Keene, OF, Kent State): Reese smacked one homer in today's derby. He's been a top performer this season with seven homers, trailing only his Keene teammate Jake Koonin, who leads with 11. In 30 games with the SwampBats, the Maryland native has tallied 19 RBIs, 24 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
Scott Seeker (Martha's Vineyard, 1B/RF, Mt. St. Mary's): Seeker secured second place in Round 1 with six home runs. The 24-year-old is no stranger to All-Star events; he hit seven home runs with the Sharks last summer and was an All-Star nominee. This year at Mount St. Mary's, he has tallied 12 homers.
Nathan Waugh (Vermont, Georgia Tech): Waugh launched three bombs in today's derby, landing in the top half of the board but just missing out on a championship round spot. In 13 games with the Mountaineers, he's tallied three homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored.
CJ Willis (Sanford, OF/1B, Quinnipiac): In today's home run derby, Willis blasted one bomb that cleared the wall. The Massachusetts native has hit all three of his homers this season at Alumni Field against the Keene SwampBats. Across 32 games with the Mainers, he's made a mark with 27 runs scored, 20 RBIs, 10 doubles and 16 stolen bases.
Michael Zarrillo (Bristol, 3B/1B Lafayette): With his father on the mound pitching for him, Zarrillo launched four home runs. In the final moments, he cranked his fourth over the right-field fence at his home field, Muzzy Field, but fell short by two to Scott Seeker's six. Over 30 games with the Blues, he's hit one homer, driven in 11 RBIs and scored 11 runs.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 21, 2024
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