DelaCruz Garners D3baseball.com All-America Honors
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Mitchell College senior Dougie DelaCruz (Uncasville, Conn.) was one of 80 players who garnered All-America honors from D3baseball.com on Wednesday morning.
DelaCruz was named an outfielder on the All-America Second Team for the second time in his career (2021). He becomes the first player in program history to land on a D3baseball.com All-America team twice, and remains just the second Mitchell player to receive the prestigious honor, as Kyle Hartenstein was named to the third team as a senior in 2018.
The 2023 season marks the 15th year in which the popular website has named All-America teams, with a total of 1,106 players having been nominated.
DelaCruz started and played in all 43 games and matched his career-high with a .430 batting average. He set career-best marks in on base percentage (.502), slugging percentage (.776), and hit a program individual season best 24 doubles. His 24 doubles were third best in the nation at the Division III level and his .56 doubles per game was eighth in the country. DelaCruz added 60 RBI, also a program single season record, hit seven home runs, six triples, drew 14 walks, and only struck out 18 times in 165 at bats. In addition to being named NECC Player of the Year for the third time in his career, he was tabbed an All-Region Region 2 First Team selection by D3baseball.com and the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III Regional Player of the Year in Region 2.
DelaCruz hit safely in 37 of 43 games this season, had 23 games with multiple hits, and had a 20-game hitting streak that lasted from March 12th through April 15th. During the season he also became the all-time home run leader in Mitchell baseball history, ending his career with 24, six more than Jeff Perillo, who belted 18 career homers between 2008-2011.
The Mariners finished with a 33-10 record 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.
