Snyder Wins Batting Title, Afthim & Hall Earn Top Pitching Honors
Published on August 10, 2022 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is proud to announce the recipients of three 2022 regular season awards - the Batting Champion, the Robin Roberts Best Starting Pitcher and the Joe Nathan Top Relief Pitcher.
The winner of the Robin Roberts Best Starting Pitcher and the Joe Nathan Top Relief Pitcher were selected by the on-field managers of the fourteen NECBL franchises. The Batting Champion was awarded to the player with the best batting average in the regular season.
2022 NECBL Batting Champion
Michael Snyder (Martha's Vineyard, 3B, Washington)
Martha's Vineyard Sharks third baseman Michael Snyder took home the 2022 NECBL Batting Champion award after posting a .406 batting average over the course of the regular season.
Snyder was a part of a Sharks squad that went 29-15 and swept through the playoffs, winning all five of its matchups to secure their first 2022 Fay Vincent Sr. Cup. Snyder was the starting third baseman for the Southern All-Star team in the NECBL All-Star Game.
Snyder appeared in thirty-five of Martha's Vineyard's forty-four games and had 128 regular-season at bats. The infielder exploded onto the NECBL scene, recording fifty-two hits. He was the only batter to have a batting average over .400 during the regular season. In addition to his league-leading average, Snyder also had thirty-three runs scored (tied for fourth), thirty-one RBIs (tied for sixth), four homers and thirteen walks. He posted a .494 on-base percentage, a .555 slugging percentage and an astounding 1.049 OPS.
The Washington rising redshirt sophomore recorded a base hit in twenty-seven of his thirty-five appearances. He had seventeen multi-hit games and seven contests with three-or-more hits. Snyder put up a season-high four hits on July 9 in an 8-6 win over Sanford, all of which were singles. His longest hit streak was ten games, spanning from July 17-27. Snyder reached base safely in twenty-nine games.
Though his batting title was secured on regular season stats alone, Snyder continued his overall production into the postseason. He led all batters with ten RBIs, had six hits, four runs scored, two doubles and a home run in five playoff games. Snyder drove in four of the Sharks' seven runs in their championship-clinching game against Vermont.
The NECBL Batting Champion is awarded to the position player with the highest regular season batting average. Players who did not accumulate enough at bats were not taken into consideration for this honor.
2022 NECBL Robin Roberts Best Starting Pitcher
Bryce Afthim (Sanford, RHP, Southern Maine)
The NECBL Robin Roberts Best Starting Pitcher award recipient is voted on by the fourteen on-field managers of NECBL teams. The honor is named after the late great Robin Roberts, who pitched nineteen years in the MLB and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Sanford Mainers right-handed pitcher Bryce Afthim secured the 2022 NECBL Robin Roberts Best Starting Pitcher award after a dominant summer. Afthim led all qualified starting pitchers with a 1.01 ERA over almost forty-five innings of work. The righty led the Mainers to the final Wild Card spot and a record of 22-22. Sanford won in the Wild Card round but fell in the semifinals to the eventual runners-up Vermont Mountaineers.
Afthim started seven times and appeared in ten games for the Mainers. He gave up just thirty-one hits and seven walks in his forty-four and two-thirds innings pitched. The Southern Maine rising junior gave up an NECBL-low five runs, all of which were earned. Afthim struck out thirty-two batters and had a record of 5-1. Opponents batted just .191, slugged .226 and had a .236 on-base percentage against Afthim. He had just a 0.85 WHIP in the regular season.
The Mainer gave up more than one run just once, taking his only loss of the season in his first appearance against Vermont. Afthim held opponents scoreless during four of his seven starts. He never allowed more than seven hits or two walks in games he opened. After giving up four earned runs in his first nine innings during the regular season, Afthim allowed just one in his final thirty-five and two-thirds pitched. Afthim was the starting pitcher for the Northern All-Stars in the NECBL All-Star Game.
Afthim's most impressive start was his last of the season. Sanford needed to win its final two games to make the playoffs and Afthim took the mound in the team's penultimate contest. The righty was the first and only pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game shutout in the NECBL this season, carrying the Mainers to a 6-0 win over Vermont. Afthim gave up just seven hits, no walks and struck out five Mountaineers.
2022 NECBL Joe Nathan Top Relief Pitcher
Camron Hill (Martha's Vineyard, LHP, Georgia Tech)
The NECBL Joe Nathan Top Relief Pitcher award recipient is voted on by all fourteen on-field managers of NECBL teams. The honor is named after Joe Nathan, who was the first NECBL alum to make his debut in Major League Baseball. Nathan pitched sixteen seasons in the big leagues, appearing for the Giants, Twins, Rangers, Tigers and Cubs. His elongated career ended with a low 2.87 ERA and 377 saves, good for ninth on the all-time list.
Martha's Vineyard left-hander Camron Hill received the 2022 NECBL Joe Nathan Top Relief Pitcher award. Hill ranked amongst the top relievers in ERA, ending the season at just 0.75. He was a staple in the Sharks' bullpen, helping them secure the First Wild Card Spot in the regular season and the eventual Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in the postseason. Hill was named a Southern All-Star and appeared in the NECBL All-Star Game, throwing a scoreless inning.
Hill appeared twelve times in the regular season over twenty-four innings. He struck out an astounding forty-one batters, averaging almost two strikeouts an inning. The lefty allowed just two earned runs and went 5-0 out of the bullpen. He allowed only five hits and four walks and kept runners off the bases in five of his outings. Ten of his twelve appearances were scoreless and he gave up more than one hit just once. Hill also earned four saves throughout the regular season.
Hill had the ability to offer long-relief, with nine of his twelve outings lasting more than an inning. He recorded more than two strikeouts in every one of his appearances. The Georgia Tech rising sophomore struck out a season-high six batters over three innings in his first game of the season, earning the win over Upper Valley. Hill held opponents to just a 0.65 average, a .120 on-base percentage and a .090 slugging percentage. His walks and hits per innings pitched stood at 0.38 when the regular season came to a close.
Although the playoffs were not taken into consideration for the award, Hill continued to stifle hitters in the postseason. He appeared in two games and pitched four and two-thirds innings. Hill allowed one run, two hits and three walks while striking out two batters. The lefty earned the win in both of his relief appearances, including a two-inning outing to close out Game 2 of the Championship Series and hand Martha's Vineyard its first title in franchise history.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 10, 2022
- Snyder Wins Batting Title, Afthim & Hall Earn Top Pitching Honors - NECBL
- Mainers' Lops Named NECBL Manager of the Year - Sanford Mainers
- NECBL Announces Four Postseason Award Winners - NECBL
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