NECBL Weekly Roundup

June 8, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release

Laconia Muskrats Pitcher Timothy Viehoff
(Winnipesaukee Muskrats)

1B Anthony Critelli

Junior | 6-4 | 220

Laconia Muskrats

Holy Cross / Holmdel, N.J.

Critelli had seven RBIs over three games, all wins, for the Bay Sox. The 6-foot-4 rising junior hit .583 (7-for-12) with two doubles and a walk. He opened the season with consecutive three-hit, multi-RBI games, then drove in what would be the winning run in a June 6 win against previously unbeaten Newport.

Pitcher of the Week

LHP Timothy Viehoff

Senior | 6-4 | 200

Laconia Muskrats

Southern New Hampshire / Derry, N.H.

Viehoff (Southern New Hampshire/Derry, N.H.) threw six shutout innings, fanning a league-high 13 as Laconia beat intrastate rival Keene 3-0 on June 6. Another 6-foor-4 rising junior, Viehoff allowed just two hits in one of the most dominance pitching performances of the early season.

Honorable Mentions

Rowdy Andrews (New Bedford/Eckerd) - Scored a league-high seven runs in three games and nine at-bats while adding a triple and three RBIs to help the Bay Sox start off 3-0.

Garrett Copeland (Vermont/Austin Peay) - Finished the week 6-for-10 (.600) at the plate with three runs scored, a double and an RBI. Those six hits rank second in the league. Also went 2-for-2 in stolen bases.

Manuel De Jesus (Valley/Ohio U.) - Chipped in five hits and a league-leading three doubles in three games while driving in three runs.

Matt O'Neil (Plymouth/Rhode Island) - Drove in five runs in three games while posting a .455 average (5-for-11). Also scored three runs and is tied for the league lead with two homers.

Nick Sinay (Valley/Buffalo) - Went a perfect 3-for-3 on the bases to pace himself to an early lead in the stolen base race. Also finished 5-for-15 (.333) with four runs scored, a double and four walks drawn.

Bryan Goosens (Valley/Siena) - Tossed seven shutout innings while scattering three hits and fanning six to lead team to a season-opening win against Keene.

Sam Nepiarsky (Mystic/Connecticut) - Dazzled over seven innings, striking out nine while issuing only one walk with two hits to pace Schooners to a 5-0 win on Saturday.

Parker Perez (North Adams/Jacksonville) - Tossed one of only two complete games last week and was wonderful; gave up no runs, walked none nad fanned five to help team top Valley, 2-0, on Sunday.

Kevin Pimentel (Plymouth/Miami) - In a game that featured 14 combined runs, he was dominant in three innings, giving up only one hit and an unearned run while striking out six of the 11 batters faced in an eventual 8-6 Plymouth win.

Brendan Spagnuolo (Newport/Vanderbilt) - Made two appearances out of the bullpen last week and was highly effective, racking up nine strikeouts while surrendering only one earned run and two walks over eight innings while finishing with a 0.750 WHIP.

MICHAEL ROTH (SANFORD '09/'10)

Columbus Clipper southpaw Michael Roth earned a dubious distinction on May 1st.

Roth became the first International Leaguer victimized by the new Pace of Game rules. The two-year Sanford Mainer was called for a ball in the second inning- and for a second ball in the fourth.

It is one of the few negatives on an outstanding season for Roth. The ace of the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A affiliate, Roth ranked in the IL's top six in wins (five) and ERA (2.39) on Memorial Day weekend.

It might also be the only time in his life that Roth was slow to learn.

The Greer, SC native earned first team Academic All-American honors as a junior and received the SEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior at South Carolina. That background gives him perspective on what happens between the foul lines.

"I realize that what I'm able to do right now is special," Roth mused. "Not everyone gets to grow up and realize a dream. The fact that I made it to the Big Leagues and got to pitch in some really cool places is exciting when there have been people in my past who told me that I would never pitch in the Big Leagues. That has always been a dream of mine. But obviously, the goal is to get there and stay there."

It's debatable which is superior: Roth the student or Roth the pitcher. Roth the pitcher won one publication's National Player of the Year in 2011 after he led the Gamecocks to a College World Series title. Roth himself went 14-3 with a 1.06 ERA in 20 starts. 1.06 is not a typo.

In his 2012 senior season, Roth went 9-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He led the Gamecocks back to Omaha and South Carolina came one game short of a national title "three-peat."

The 22nd annual NECBL All-Star game will be held on Sunday, July 19th, at Historic Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine.

Hosted by the Sanford Mainers, the NECBL All-Star game showcases the NECBL's top student-athletes in a fun-filled afternoon and evening of baseball splendor. The 2015 NECBL All-Star Game is heading to the great state of Maine this summer!

The NECBL's Midsummer Classic will be hosted by our very own Sanford Mainers on Sunday, July 19th. Join the NECBL's elite student-athletes as they take to the diamond in front of scouts from every MLB organization, as the Sanford community celebrates the 100th anniversary of historic Goodall Park, one of New England's iconic baseball backdrops.

First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. More information about the Mainers can be found at sanfordmainers.com. We'll see you on Sunday, July 19th, at Goodall Park for the 2015 NECBL All-Star Game!

New Bedford Bay Sox 1B Anthony Critelli

Laconia Muskrats Pitcher Timothy Viehoff

New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 8, 2015

• Roulis' Five Hits Pushes Mountaineers to 5-1 Win Over Laconia - Vermont Mountaineers
• Swamp Bats Let Win Slip Through their Fingers - Keene Swamp Bats
• NECBL Weekly Roundup - NECBL
• Gulls Tie Gatemen in CCBL Exhibition, 5-5 - Newport Gulls

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