NEWS

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Plymouth catcher James Venuto (Elon) and Keene right-hander Tim Elliott (Georgia) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts on the diamond in Week 1 of the 2017 season.

Venuto, who just wrapped up his sophomore season at Elon, finished the week sitting atop the league leader board in home runs while trailing only teammates Zachary McGuire in the league’s RBI rankings. The Mansfield, Massachusetts, native went 4-for-11 at the dish for a healthy .364 batting average, but, most impressively, three of those four hits cleared the fences while he drove in six runs in total.

The catcher drew up as solid of a start to his NECBL career after blasting two homers with five RBIs as part of a season-opening victory over defending champion Mystic on June 7. Venuto would add another homer in a victory over Newport the following night. When he wasn’t busy driving in runs, Venuto was scoring them himself, as the rising junior scored six runs (2nd/NECBL) and crosse the plate at least once in each of the four games he played last week.

Venuto enjoyed his best year yet in his second full season with Elon this spring; he set career-highs in all offensive categories, batting .275 (36-131) with 16 runs scored, eight doubles, four homers and 22 RBIs. He also posted a perfect fielding percentage with 172 putouts and 16 assists.

Elliott, who worked mainly as a reliever for Georgia this spring, did just that when he debuted on June 7 and fired an inning and a third of scoreless baseball that featured two strikeouts and just one hit yielded. It wasn’t until three days later that the Loganville, Georgia, native flashed his star potential in his first start of the summer. The righty nearly posted a 2:1 strikeout-to-inning ratio after fanning 11 over six full frames while walking just one and scattering four hits, keying the Swamp Bats to an eventual 7-4 victory over Winnipesaukee.

After those two outings, Elliott now leads the league in strikeouts by five, totaling 13 Ks after Week 1; the freshman also sits in a tie for first in earned run average (ERA) at 0.00. The rising sophomore went 1-0 with a 5.93 ERA in 15 appearances as a true freshman with the Bulldogs while striking out 10.

The NECBL congrats both players on their accomplishments.

Week 1 Honor Roll

Tucker Bradley (Keene/Georgia) – Shared the league lead with eight hits while leading the league with seven runs scored and drawing four walks. Was also a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases.

Dylan D’Anna (Newport/Siena) – Made his NECBL debut in relief and fanned seven over three scoreless innings for a more-than 2:1 strikeout/inning ratio. Also yielded just two hits and a walk.

Robert Donnelly (North Adams/SUNY Oswego) – Was the NECBL’s only two-game winner last week after making one start and one bullpen appearance; in eight shutout innings, he struck out four, walked four and scattered four hits.

Jesse Forestell (Vermont/Western Michigan) – Led the league with a .667 batting average on a 6-for-9 showing at the plate; also drew five walks and drove in two runs.

Turner French (Mystic/St. John’s) – Was practically unhittable over three relief appearances; fanned six over 2-2/3 innings, allowing only one hit with two walks while picking up a win over that span.

Nicholas Mascelli (Mystic/Wagner) – Tied for the league lead with eight hits in an all-around impressive offensive display; batted .500, scored twice, drilled four doubles and drove in three more runs.

Grady Miller (Vermont/Portland) – Tossed seven stellar innings in his debut, fanning six with just a walk and five hits scattered.

Dillon Paulson (North Adams/USC) – Was a catalyst at the plate with five runs scored while finishing with a .545 batting average (6-for-11), a double, a home run and two RBIs while drawing six walks.

Zach Spangler (Keene/Kent State) – Led the league with two saves after pitching four scoreless innings across three relief outings. Fanned five, walked none and worked around three hits.

Randy Taveras (Danbury/Marist) – Drove in five runs while finishing 6-for-12 at the plate with two runs, a double and a homer.

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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the NECBL started play in 1994 and has sent over 130 alumni to the Major Leagues. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter and on Facebook.