DelaCruz, Robbins Earn National Honors
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College junior Dougie DelaCruz and freshman Owen Robbins were named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division III Hitter and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
It marked the first time that a Mitchell player has been recognized for either award. DelaCruz becomes only the second player from the New England Collegiate Conference to earn the distinction, joining Southern Vermont's John Arancio (2018). Robbins joins New England College's Harutaro Takahashi (2020) as the only NECC players to nab the rookie honor.
The duo led Mitchell to a 5-1 week in NECC play that included a win over New England College and a four-game sweep against Lesley University. The Mariners lit up the scoreboard for 107 runs during the stretch, with DelaCruz and Robbins serving as key contributors.
DelaCruz batted .571 with three doubles, three homers and a team-high 20 RBI over the six games, hitting safely and knocking in runs in each game while slugging 1.143 for the week. He hit a grand slam and finished with seven RBI in the win over New England College. He then went 9-for-15 with two doubles, two homers, 12 RBI and nine runs scored in a four-game series against Lesley.
Robbins batted .500 with a double and two grand slams over five games. The long balls both came against Lesley in a weekend series. His first grand slam came in Saturday's second game, and he finished with a season-high five RBI. Robbins then duplicated the feat less than 24 hours later, clearing the bases with his second round-tripper of the season in Sunday's opener. He slugged 1.375 for the week and finished with 10 RBI.
Mitchell (12-5 overall, 5-1 NECC) will next host Becker College on Friday, April 23 at 2 p.m.
2021 NCBWA WINNERS
• Month of February: Ty Morgan, Louisiana College (Hitter); Brett Sanchez, Belhaven (Pitcher); Levi Cloud, Berry (Rookie)
• Week ending March 7: Caleb Durbin, Washington-St. Louis (Hitter); Patrick O'Rourke, Berry (Pitcher); Amani Jones, Stevenson (Rookie)
• Week ending March 14: Philip Mahlik, Kean (Hitter); Ryan Behling, North Central (Pitcher); Jacob Cyrus, Illinois Wesleyan (Rookie)
• Week ending March 21: Dane Pedersen, Louisiana College (Hitter); Thomas Gallant, Mount Union (Pitcher); Nolan Sparks, Rochester (Rookie)
• Week ending March 28: Jack Hollinshead, Wittenberg (Hitter); Sam Westermeyer, St. Olaf (Pitcher); Cam Seymour, Southern Maine (Rookie)
• Week ending April 4: Catcher Cumming, Penn State Altoona (Hitter); Chris Chiriboga, St. Thomas (Pitcher); Jake Freed, Oberlin (Rookie)
• Week ending April 11: Adam Zebrowski, St. John Fisher (Hitter); Nolan Rowan, Kean (Pitcher); Amani Jones, Stevenson (Rookie)
• Week ending April 18: Dougie DelaCruz, Mitchell (Hitter); Michael Vallone, DePauw (Pitcher); Owen Robbins, Mitchell (Rookie)
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters, and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates, and official votes in the Dick Howser Player of the Year Award, Regional Player of the Year, and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors preseason All-America awards, publication contests, and writing contests.