NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Newport outfielder Zach Hogueisson (Arizona State) and Keene lefty Ian Exposito (St. Thomas) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts on the diamond for Week 3 of the 2018 season.
Hogueisson was an instrumental part of the lineup for the Gulls, who went 4-2 over the past seven days. He ranked second in the league with 12 total hits, finishing with a .444 batting average in that span. He went 12-for-27 at the dish while leading the league with six doubles. He also added a league-leading three homers and 11 RBIs for good measure, while scoring six runs himself, as well. He had multi-hit performances in five straight games at one point last week, with three two-hit outings and two three-hit showings, as well.
The rising sophomore at Arizona State and California native pushed his batting average up to .311 on the season in 15 games with the Gulls. He has 19 hits, nine runs and 13 RBIs in that span. All of his six doubles, three homers and 11 of those 13 RBIs came last week, as he now owns a .930 OPS on the summer. He is coming off a rookie year with the Sun Devils that saw him bat .286 in 13 games with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs.
Exposito turned in a brilliant start last Monday (June 18) in a 7-0 blanking of Winnipesaukee to account for one of the league’s best single-game outings by a pitcher this summer. He went eight innings with only one hit allowed, but more impressively, he fanned nine of the 25 batters he faced while allowing just a single walk.
The rising senior at St. Thomas University (NAIA) and Florida native has now gone 1-1 in two starts with the Swamp Bats. He has a 4.50 ERA in that span with 12 strikeouts, four walks and six hits, while opponents are batting only .171 against him.
Exposito is coming off a spring that saw him pitch 77.0 innings with a 3.04 ERA, a 9-1 record, 70 strikeouts and just 19 walks.
The NECBL congrats both players on their accomplishments.
Week 3 Honor Roll
Serafino Brito (New Bedford/Rutgers) – Made the most out of his one relief appearance last week, going six stellar innings with one earned run allowed while striking out nine, walking none and scattering four hits to pick up the win out of the bullpen.
Jackson Coutts (North Adams/URI) – Last week’s NECBL Player of the Week had another fine showing at the dish, batting .529 with nine hits in 17 at-bats. He also drove in four runs with a double and a homer and still has at least one hit in all 12 games he has played.
Indigo Diaz (Vermont/Michigan State) – Had another fantastic week that saw two appearances and one start, totaling eight innings of work. He fanned 10 in that span with two walks and four hits allowed while earning a win. He did not allow an earned run, either.
Elijah Dunham (Plymouth/Indiana) – Hit safely in all four games he played with three multi-hit games. Finished with a .444 batting average on eight hits with six RBIs, two homers and four runs scored.
Thomas Girard (Mystic/Duke) – Made two excellent appearances in relief, earning a win in one of them while picking up a save in the other. He logged six scoreless innings of work that included eight strikeouts and only two hits.
Kody Hoese (Newport/Tulane) – Had at least one hit in every one of the four games he played, including a 4-for-5 showing that saw him score four runs, drive in four more and add two doubles and a home run. His week finished with a .583 batting average (7-for-12) and seven runs scored, as well as five RBIs, two doubles and a homer.
Jaylen Smith (Valley/Kennesaw State) – Hit safely in all four games he played last week, starting off 5-for-9 at the dish with back-to-back multi-hit games. Batted over .400 with four runs, two homers and three RBIs, as well as a 3-for-3 showing on the bases.
Russell Smith (Newport/Texas Christian) – Was excellent in his one start last week, nearly posting a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-innings ratio with 10 Ks over 5-1/3 innings of work. He scattered six hits and worked around an unearned run while giving up just one walk to pick up the win.
Sam Williams (Plymouth/Northern Kentucky) – Logged a very quality start in his one game last week, tossing seven scoreless innings that included eight strikeouts, two walks and five hits allowed while earning the win.
Michael Woodworth (Keene/UConn) – Led the league with 14 hits last week, going 3-3-4-2-2 in terms of hits in each of the first five games he played last week. Batted .538 altogether with five runs and seven RBIs.
