NEWS

Ocean State catcher, Mystic right-hander named Player, Pitcher of the Week!

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – While the limelight on the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) shifted toward the 2014 All-Star Game last week, plenty of student-athletes continued to shine in the abbreviated week leading up to the showcase, but none more so than Ocean State’s Ethan Ferreira (Harvard) and Mystic’s Michael Concato (Dartmouth), each of whom were named the league’s Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced Monday.

On a balanced team with so many threats, Ferreira stood just above the rest of his fellow Waves in helping Rhode Island’s hottest team go 4-0 last week while running their current win streak to a franchise-best seven in a row; Concato, meanwhile, enjoyed a particularly dominant go-around in his sixth start of the summer last week, pacing the Schooners to their lone win of the week over New Bedford.

In a week with minimal sample size, Ferreira did a little bit of everything to propel the Waves to four more wins in four tries. The rising senior at Harvard finished 5-for-10 (.500) with six runs scored, a double, four RBI and a league-leading three homers in that span. On the year, the right-handed catcher is batting .250 (19-for-76) in 27 games with five homers, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.

Concato, meanwhile, made the most out of his one start last week; the rising sophomore right-hander at Dartmouth tossed eight scoreless innings to pick up a win over New Bedford on July 17. During that span, he yielded just three hits, no walks, no extra-base hits, and, most impressively, struck out nine batsmen in that span. On the year, he stands at 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA, 30 strikeouts and just six walks while holding opponents to a 1.180 WHIP.

Honorable Mention
James Bunn (Plymouth/VCU) – Boasted league-high nine hits while batting .500 (9-for-18) with a double, three RBI, and five runs over four games last week. Also went 2-for-2 on the bases.

Drew Ferguson (Ocean State/Belmont) – Finished tied for the league lead with six RBI in four games while batting .467 (7-for-15) with five runs scored, two doubles, two homers and went a perfect 3-for-3 on the bases, tying league-high in swiped bags.

Aaron Fossas (Plymouth/Wake Forest) – Tossed eight scoreless innings to pick up win in lone start last week, fanning six while finishing with a .63 WHIP (three walks, two hits).

Daniel Koger (Vermont/Alabama Huntsville) – Led Mountaineers to a win with a stellar start, tossing seven scoreless frames with seven strikeouts.

Nolan Long (Mystic/Wagner) – The 2012 draft pick of the San Francisco Giants led the NECBL with 10 strikeouts last week, fanning them over eight innings of a no decision in his lone start.

Kyle Richardson (North Adams/Notre Dame) – Tied the league lead with three stolen bases (3-for-4) while batting .368 (7-for-19) with four runs, a double and three RBI over five games.

Jordan Sheffield (Laconia/Vanderbilt) – The 2013 Red Sox draft selection was brilliant two separate relief outings last week, striking out seven over a combined 4-2/3 innings while picking up a win in that span while finshing with a miniscule 0.43 WHIP.

Bobby Stahen (Valley/USC) – Ranked second among all qualifiers with a .538 batting average (7-for-13) with two runs, five RBI, a stolen base and league-high four doubles in three games.

Blake Tiberi (Vermont/Louisville) – Owned league’s top batting average (.600) after finishing 6-for-10 at the plate; also chipped in two runs and an RBI in three games last week.

Jim Voyles (North Adams/Florida State) – Continued his dominant summer with two stellar relief outings during which he went scoreless over five innings with seven strikeouts and just one hit allowed, good for a nearly perfect 0.20 WHIP.

Player/Pitcher of the Week News Archive
Week 6: Rinn (Ocean State)/Davitt (New Bedford)
Week 5: Martinez (Laconia)/Houstin (Plymouth)
Week 4: Martin (Plymouth)/Fossas (Plymouth)
Week3: Amburgey (Vermont)/Knutson (Danbury)
Week 2: Sikes (Valley)/Van Vossen (Newport)
Week 1: Guglietti (Plymouth)/Davis (Vermont)

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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 100 alumni to the Major Leagues. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter and on Facebook.