Baseball's Pagan, DelaCruz Nab NECC Honors

MARSHFIELD, Mass. – A pair of Mitchell College baseball players were recognized by the New England Collegiate Conference on Monday morning.

Senior Steven Pagan was named NECC Player of the Week for the second time in his career while freshman Dougie DelaCruz earned NECC Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season. The duo led Mitchell to a 4-1 record last week that included wins over UMass Boston, Dean College and Southern Vermont College.

Pagan batted a team-high .563 with a double, nine RBI and a stolen base last week. He had multiple hits in three of the five contests and drove in runs in all five. In the non-conference tilt at UMass Boston he finished with three hits and drove in four runs as Mitchell picked up its 10th straight win. He then had two hits and an RBI in a series split with Dean before going 4-for-6 with three RBI and four runs scored in a sweep of Southern Vermont.

DelaCruz batted .350 with two doubles, a homer, nine RBI and six runs scored last week. All seven of his hits came in conference action, including a 3-for-3 effort in which he doubled and drove in two runs in the win at Dean. He then went 4-for-8 with a double, home run and six RBI in the sweep of Southern Vermont.

Both Pagan and DelaCruz have started all 23 games this season for the Mariners. Pagan is batting .333 with 26 RBI and 24 runs scored. His six doubles are tied for the team lead, and he also has a triple and home run on the year. DelaCruz is enjoying a stellar first season in which he's batting .350 with a team-high 35 RBI and 22 runs scored. He ranks second on the team with 12 extra-base hits, four of which have gone for home runs.

Mitchell (17-6 overall, 5-1 NECC) will next host Castleton University on Thursday, April 11 at 2 p.m.