Upper Valley's Nick Quagliato Selected as 2024 NECBL Sportsman of the Year
August 19, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The New England Collegiate Baseball League and Deputy Commissioner Gregg Hunt are pleased to announce the 2024 NECBL Sportsman of the Year recipient. Upper Valley's Nick Quagliato has been named the 2024 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Sportsman of the Year.
The NECBL Sportsman of the Year was voted on by the 13 on-field managers from across the league. Each team nominated a player worthy of the award, and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players on the ballot. Other voters included General Managers and Umpires.
In his first year at Fairleigh Dickinson, Quagliato started in 29 games helping the Knights to an NEC Tournament appearance. During his time on the diamond, he posted a .358/.413/.496 slashline with 11 doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 44 hits and 23 RBI during his first-year stint for FDU in 2024. The Freshman's slugging percentage was .366 for FDU. Behind the plate, he was dominant with a fielding percentage of 1.000. The New Jersey native will be returning to Fairleigh Dickinson for the 2025 season.
This summer at Upper Valley, Quagliato played in 24 contests and racked up 24 hits in 82 plate appearances and 11 runs scored. The Nighthawks catcher included three doubles, one triple and a homerun good for 11 RBI. Quagliato was named as a reserve catcher for the 2024 NECBL All-Star Game at Muzzy Field in Bristol in late July where he recorded one hit in his only trip to the batter's box. Quagliato
"Nick, Sarge as he was known around the league, is a vital part of the culture we have continued to build with the Nighthawks," stated Upper Valley General Manager Matt Wright. "He is the true definition of a teammate, and an even better person. We are so privileged to have him as the voice and heartbeat of our team."
2024 NECBL Sportsman of the Year Team Nominees
Bristol Blues - Billy Sullivan (C/OF, Southern Connecticut State)
Danbury Westerners - Kobe Mentzer (OF, George Washington)
Keene SwampBats - Steve Bangs (RHP, Franklin Pierce)
Martha's Vineyard Sharks - Cole Mascolo (OF, Elon)
Mystic Schooners - Connor Harris (RHP, Winthrop)
Newport Gulls - Randy Seymour (SS/3B, Michigan State)
North Adams SteepleCats - Jake Kulikowski (OF, Miami)
North Shore Navigators - Reece Maroney (IF, Rhode Island)
Ocean State Waves - Tommy McAndrews (C/1B, Fordham)
Sanford Mainers - Caleb Shpur (CF/OF, Connecticut)
Upper Valley Nighthawks - Nick Quagliato (C/1B, Fairleigh Dickinson)
Valley Blue Sox - Logan Hugo (OF, Eastern Michigan)
Vermont Mountaineers - Tyler Cox (SS, Dartmouth)
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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