Lea Awarded 2021 NECBL Sportsman of the Year Honors
Published on August 20, 2021 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - North Adams catcher Jeremy Lea (Pacific) has been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)'s Sportsman of the Year for the 2021 season, as announced Wednesday.
Lea makes North Adams history as he becomes the first SteepleCat to be awarded the top sportsman accolade in franchise existence.
A rising senior at the University of the Pacific, Lea was a true leader for the SteepleCats both on and off of the field in 2021. By playing in nearly every single game all season for North Adams behind the plate and in the batter's box, Lea fostered crucial relationships with every single pitcher, playing a major role in leading his team to the Divisional Semifinals this summer.
Helping his team finish tied for second place in the North with a record of 22-17-2, just three games behind first-place, the Pleasanton, California, native batted .291 in the regular season through 38 games with 41 hits in 141 at-bats, as well as 27 runs scored and 10 walks drawn. Lea also caught North Adams' Wild Card game against the Sanford Mainers and batted third, helping starting pitcher Brian Zeldin toss nearly seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and earning the victory.
As the 'Cats' clear primary catcher from the start of the 2021 season, Lea took his job seriously from the moment he arrived in North Adams just a couple of months ago. The right-handed hitter was consistently one of the first ones on the field every day, giving a helping hand to anyone who needed it.
Lea could almost always be found either catching or working with a pitcher in the bullpen, doing whatever he can to make them better performers. He took the time to get to know every single one of the pitchers and the rest of his teammates and quickly became an individual who led by example on a team full of younger players, inspiring everybody around him to put their best foot forward.
2021 NECBL Sportsman of the Year Team Nominees
Bristol Blues - Austin White (Coastal Carolina)
Danbury Westerners - Banks Griffith (Stetson)
Keene Swamp Bats - Cam Chamberlain (Norwich)
Martha's Vineyard Sharks - Will Duff (Missouri State)
Mystic Schooners - Addison Kopack (URI)
Newport Gulls - Jordan Rogers (U of Michigan)
North Adams SteepleCats - Jeremy Lea (Pacific)
North Shore Navigators - Logan Bravo (Harvard)
Ocean State Waves - Slade Wilks (Southern Mississippi)
Sanford Mainers - Brian Craven (Davidson)
Upper Valley Nighthawks - Jordy Allard (Richmond)
Valley Blue Sox - Ryan Towle (UMass Lowell)
Vermont Mountaineers - Adam Retzbach (Lehigh)
Winnipesaukee Muskrats - Will Vergantino (Elon)
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 150 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 on Facebook.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 20, 2021
- Honeyman Named 2021 Rick Ligi Most Valuable Player - NECBL
- NECBL Unveils 2021 End-Of-Year Award Winners - NECBL
- Lea Awarded 2021 NECBL Sportsman of the Year Honors - NECBL
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