Six From Baseball Honored by NECC
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Six Mitchell College baseball players were honored by the New England Collegiate Conference on Wednesday as the league announced its annual awards.
Freshman first baseman Bo Yaworski took home one of the top honors as he was named NECC Rookie of the Year. It marks the third time a Mitchell player has earned the award, albeit the first time by a positional player.
B. Yaworski was also one of 17 players who earned all-conference honors. Joining him from Mitchell were seniors Hunter Yaworski and Dougie DelaCruz, juniors Matt Falk and Lelo Martinez and freshman Chris Gibbs. DelaCruz nabbed all-conference honors for the third time in his career while H. Yaworski, Falk and Martinez were repeat selections. All awards were determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
B. Yaworski has made an immediate impact for the Mariners in his debut season, helping them to a 7-4 conference record and the second seed in the upcoming NECC Championship. He leads the league with a .586 on-base percentage—good for fourth-best in the nation—and drew a league-best 32 walks while batting out of the two-spot. He also ranks second in the NECC in hits (46), runs (37), RBI (35) and batting average (.422).
H. Yaworski is hitting .328 with 35 RBI and 32 runs scored while batting clean-up and playing 36 games in center field. He leads the Mariners with 12 doubles and has also clubbed a pair of homers.
DelaCruz, a left fielder, is hitting .250 with six doubles, two triples and two homers while driving in 27 runs and scoring 21 times. In nine league games he raised his average to .286 with five RBI and nine runs scored.
A stalwart behind the plate, Falk is batting .325 with 33 RBI and 35 runs scored while displaying newfound power at the dish. His nine home runs are the most in the NECC this season, and he also leads the Mariners in extra-base hits (16) and slugging (.608).
Martinez is enjoying a career season in which he's hitting .375 with 29 RBI and 36 runs scored while manning third base. In 11 league games he raised his average to .419 and drove in a team-high 12 runs. He also leads the Mariners in stolen bases (10).
Gibbs has helped bolster a pitching staff that has allowed the fewest runs in the NECC. He's made 10 appearances with nine starts and is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA. In 41.0 innings of work he's recorded 41 strikeouts while issuing only 13 walks.
Senior John-John Jose rounded out Mitchell's award recipients by being named to the Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team. He has played in 27 games this season—primarily as a designated hitter—and is batting .279 with 13 RBI and 13 runs scored.
Mitchell (26-10 overall, 7-4 NECC) will next face Eastern Nazarene College in the first round of the 2022 NECC Championship on Friday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. The double-elimination tournament is being hosted by top-seeded New England College in Henniker, N.H.