NECBL Weekly Roundup
June 29, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
Keene Swamp Bats Pitcher Zach Willeman
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Player of the Week
IF Cameron Hanley
Junior
Laconia Muskrats
Northeastern
Finishing the week 11-for-31 with a .355 batting average, Hanley led the league in total hits last week and was an RBI short of the league lead as well, finishing with seven RBIs. Overall, he scored four runs, drew one walk, and added a stolen base while appearing in all eight games for the Muskrats.
On the year, the left-handed-hitting Hanley has gone 23-for-62 (.371) at the plate. The rising junior at Northeastern has scored six runs, driven in 12 more and has knocked in three doubles, as well.
Pitcher of the Week
RHP Zach Willeman
Freshman
Keene Swamp Bats
Kent State
Willeman, meanwhile, becomes the first reliever to garner Pitcher of the Week recognition this summer. His numbers have been gaudy to date, but last week he was brilliant, setting down all eight batters he faced over 2-2/3 innings and three separate games. He picked up two saves in that span while fanning two across those perfect, scoreless frames.
Despite being pegged with two tough losses (0-2), Willeman has been one of the league's elite relievers this season, as indicative of his 0.75 ERA over nine appearances with 23 strikeouts, two walks and 0.196 batting average against. He hasn't given up a hit since June 17.
Honorable Mentions
Joey Abraham (Sanford/Vanderbilt) - Struck out seven over seven scoreless innings with only one walk and one hit yielded in only start last week.
Casey Brown (Vermont/CCSU) - Won only start of the week after tossing 6-2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, one hit and one walk yielded.
Josh Garran (North Adams/Pace) - Ranked second in the league in strikeouts (8) while pitching six scoreless innings with only two walks allowed to pick up the win.
Brett Lashley (Laconia/Florida Atlantic) - Finished 9-for-22 (.409) with three runs, a homer and five RBIs while stealing two bases in seven games.
Brian Mims (Laconia/UNC Wilmington) - Posted nine hits with six runs scored and six more driven in while going 3-for-4 on the bases.
Josh Moore (Laconia/St. Louis) - Led league with nine strikeouts over 9-2/3 innings (two appearances, one start).
Patrick O'Neill (Danbury/Eastern Connecticut State) - Tossed two strong relief outings, picking up two saves over that span.
AJ Ramirez (Ocean State/USC) - In addition to four stolen bases in four tries, added five hits, four runs, a double, a homer and two RBIs in five games.
Brent Rooker (Plymouth/Mississippi State) - Led league in batting average, hitting .583 (7-for-12) in only three games. Also scored five runs, drove in six more and three of his seven hits were of the extra-base variety (two doubles, one home run).
Victor Sorrento (North Adams/Sacred Heart) - Drove in league-high eight runs in four games while finishing 7-for-19 (.368) at the plate with a double and home run. Also scored three runs.
2015 Player/Pitcher of the Week Archives
Week 3: Alvarez/Edwards
Week 2: Roulis (Vermont)/Mertz (Newport)
Week 1: Critelli (New Bedford)/Viehoff (Laconia)
Josh Smith (Torrington '08) made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Smith becomes the sixth NECBL alumnus to debut this year and the 117th to play in the Majors
Miami Marlin OF Cole Gillespie (2005 North Adams) became the 50th NECBL graduate to play in the Majors in 2015 tonight. Gillespie pinch-hit against the Dodgers.
Mark Appel (Newport '10) was selected to play in the July 12th Futures Game. An Astro prospect, Appel has a 1.54 ERA over his last four starts for Double-A Corpus Christi.
The Class A, High-A, Southern League (AA) and Texas League (AA) All-Star Game rosters were announced. 17 NECBL graduates were chosen to participate in these games. Full story here!
Chris Colabello (Mill City '04) hit a solo homer in the top of the 12th for the game's only run in Toronto's 1-0 win over Tampa Bay. Colabello is slugging .512 on the year
Trey Mancini (Holyoke 2011) won the Carolina League Player of the Month for May. Exactly 15 games into his promotion to Double-A Bowie, the Orioles' prospect won the Eastern League Player of the Week for June 15th through 21st. The 23-year old hit .444 (8-for-18) with two doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base, two walks and a .833 slugging percentage in six games for the Baysox last week. Mancini, who is a native of Winter Haven, Florida, reached base in five of the six games he played in last week and had multiple hits in four of those games, including going 2-for-4 with a home run in Bowie's 6-3 win over the visiting Trenton Thunder on Sunday afternoon.
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!
Images from this story
 Laconia Muskrats IF Cameron Hanley |
 Keene Swamp Bats Pitcher Zach Willeman |
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 29, 2015
- Gulls Split Double Header vs. Bay Sox - Newport Gulls
- Mountaineers Hit the Road with a Loss - Vermont Mountaineers
- Hanley, Willeman Haul in Week 4 NECBL Honors - NECBL
- NECBL Weekly Roundup - NECBL
- Gulls to Host Star Wars Night Wednesday - Newport Gulls
- Former Waves Caputo, Gerber Earn Nationwide Honors - Ocean State Waves
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