DelaCruz named Region 2 Position Player of the Year; Record Seven Mariners Grab ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Honors
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College senior Dougie DelaCruz (Uncasville, Conn.) was named Region Position Player of the Year in Region 2 when the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region teams and Regional Players of the Year were announced for all 10 regions on Tuesday morning. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee.
DelaCruz, who was named NECC Player of the Year and landed a spot on the All-Region First Team released by D3baseball.com, becomes the first player in the history of the Mitchell College baseball program to earn Regional Position Player of the Year honors. Along with DelaCruz, fellow seniors Matt Falk (Enfield, Conn.), Ryan Solimine (Danbury, Conn.) and Lelo Martinez (New London, Conn.), along with juniors Owen Robbins (East Lyme, Conn.) and Angel Galindez (Carolina, PR), as well as sophomore Bo Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.) were among the 45 athletes honored in Region 2, which consisted of players from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
DelaCruz and Yaworski were both All-Region First Team selections, DelaCruz for the second time in his career, while Yaworski made Third-Team last season as a freshman. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-America teams will be announced on Thursday, June 1. First Team All-Region selections are eligible for All-America honors.
Matt Falk, Lelo Martinez, and Owen Robbins each landed on the Second Team All-Region, with Falk being the only one of the three to have previously been an All-Region selection when he made Third Team in 2022. Ryan Solimine and Angel Galindez earned Third Team honors for their performance on the diamond this spring, with Solimine having been a Second Team selection in 2019.
DelaCruz started in all 43 games for the Mariners, slashing .430/.502/.776, with 60 RBI, 57 runs scored, 24 doubles, seven home runs, and six triples. One of three outfielders to earn First Team honors, his 24 doubles were third in the nation at the Division III level, while his 60 RBI were top 20, and during the spring he also became the all-time home run leader in Mitchell College baseball history.
After earning Third Team Honors in 2022 ABCA/Rawlings, Yaworski followed up his freshman campaign with a big sophomore season, slashing .366/.461/.581, while starting all 43 games at first base. Yaworski, who was one of two first baseman named to the First Team, was second on the team with 58 RBI, and added 50 runs scored, 15 doubles, six home runs, and two triples. He also posted a .994 fielding percentage, making just two errors all season in the field.
Matt Falk was the lone catcher to land on the All-Region Second Team, starting all 43 games for the Mariners behind the plate. The senior posted a .321/.424/.534 slash line, slugged eight home runs and collected 60 RBI. The 60 RBI put him top 20 in the country at the Division III level, and his 1.40 runs batted in per game were in the top 25 nationally. Falk also scored 45 runs, hit 10 doubles, five triples, and worked 35 walks. On the defensive side, the senior was charged with just one error in 43 games.
Joining Falk was senior Lelo Martinez, who was one of two third baseman selected to the All-Region Second Team. Martinez was a First Team All-NECC selection, and slashed .342/.463/.510 in 43 games at the hot corner. He drove in 50 runs, scored 47 times, hit 13 doubles, three triples, and a pair of home runs. Martinez added 13 stolen bases and 21 walks, while only striking out 23 times in 149 at bats.
Robbins enjoyed a breakout year for the Mariners, starting 43 games in right field and slashing .369/.481/.550, career high numbers across the board. The junior tallied 42 RBI, 38 runs scored, 10 doubles, four triples, and three home runs. Robbins delivered in big moments as well, earning MVP honors of the NECC tournament after going 7-14 with eight RBI and seven runs scored across three games, along with belting a home run in Mitchell's NCAA Regional game against Wheaton College (MA).
Solimine returned to the mound after two injury plagued seasons to anchor the Mitchell starting rotation, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.28 ERA. Across 67 innings pitched, he allowed just 17 earned runs and 53 hits, while striking out 64. The senior came up big when it mattered the most, tossing eight innings of one-run ball in a win against New England College in the NECC tournament, before leading the Mariners to victory in the opening day of the NCAA Regionals, working five and two-third innings of two-run ball against Tufts University.
Galindez also had a breakout season for the Mariners, starting 43 games at shortstop, while batting .335, over .70 points higher than his debut season with Mitchell. The junior posted a .478 on base percentage and a .392 slugging percentage, both career highs, and was an elite leadoff hitter, scoring 69 runs, good for eighth most in the nation at the Division III level. His 1.60 runs per game was fourth best in the nation at the Division III level, and Galindez added 31 RBI, 29 walks, 23 stolen bases, five doubles, and two triples. On the defensive side, he played an elite shortstop, posting a .935 fielding percentage in 43 games.
The group led the Mariners to a 33-10 record this season that included an 11-1 mark in New England Collegiate Conference play. Mitchell picked up their ninth conference title, third in a row, and went on to win a program-best two games in the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 36 countries.