NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Ocean State outfielder Garrett Hodges (Kennesaw State) and Valley right-handed pitcher Cooper Bradford (North Florida) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their heroics on the diamond for Week 6 of the 2018 season.
Hodges had a monster week at the plate, leading the league with 13 hits while his .565 batting average was also the best in the league over that span. He shared the league lead with eight runs while drilling two doubles and two home runs, driving in eight runs in total. He struck out just four times in 23 at-bats while stealing three bases and drawing two walks. He posted a 1.513 OPS on the week altogether while posting at least one hit in all six games he played, including two two-hit outings, a three-hit performance and a four-hit evening. Ocean State went 5-1 in that span.
On the summer, the rising junior at Kennesaw State now boasts a .382 batting average that ranks third overall in the league, while his 27 RBIs are tied for second. He is coming off a sophomore year that saw him total 25 hits, 14 runs, three homers and 14 RBIs at Kennesaw State.
Bradford stole the show on the rubber last week after putting together one of the best pitching performances in recent memory, throwing the league’s 13th no-hitter in its 25-year history and first since Mystic’s Sonny Potter did so last summer. In order to do so, he went an incredible 11 innings with 13 strikeouts and only five walks yielded to help Valley win the first game of a doubleheader at Sanford last Friday.
Bradford lowered his ERA on the summer to 2.14 in the process while improving to an NECBL-best 5-1 in six starts. He has totaled 42 innings of work and has a league-most 58 strikeouts compared to only 19 walks and 16 hits, as opponents are hitting just .114 against him on the season. He also saw his WHIP shrink to 0.83.
Week 6 Honor Roll
Edward Baram (Sanford/Adelphi) – Nearly went the distance by throwing eight scoreless innings in a no decision against Valley last Friday. He struck out 10 and gave up two hits while walking none over that span, lowering his ERA to a league-best 0.62 with 37 strikeouts.
Christopher Berry (Upper Valley/North Florida) – Batted over .400 on the week with nine hits in 22 at-bats. Led the league with four homers while adding a double and five RBIs while scoring six runs himself. Had two three-hit performances in that span.
Mason Calloway (Winnipesaukee/Savannah State) – Had at least one hit in all but one of the six games he played last week, including a 3-for-4 showing. Went 7-for-8 in stolen bases while totaling eight hits, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Indigo Diaz (Vermont/Michigan State) – Logged two more appearances, including a strong start that featured seven strikeouts and only one hit allowed in six innings of work in an eventual win over league-leading Valley. He threw another scoreless inning of work in another win over Upper Valley on Sunday.
Erik Kaiser (Keene/Vanderbilt) – Recorded a pair of saves last week after posting a pair of two-inning scoreless relief outings. First shut down Newport with six strikeouts over two frames on July 12 before fanning four more against Winnipesaukee two days later. Finished with 10 strikeouts over four innings with only two hits and three walks allowed on the week.
Jacob Koos (Keene/Stetson) – Was nearly unstoppable on the bases, leading the league with 11 stolen bases on 13 attempts. Also batted .375 on the week (9-for-24) with eight runs scored, a double and an RBI. Had two three-hit performances in that span.
Anthony Quirion (Upper Valley/Lamar) – Batted an even .400 with eight hits in 20 at-bats; also scored five runs and drove in seven more after totaling three home runs and a double.
Corey Sawyer (Ocean State/Seton Hall) – Came out of the bullpen twice and finished with some impressive figures last week. Struck out eight over five innings with only a hit and a walk surrendered during that frame. He struck out exactly half of the batters he faced overall.
Tim Tawa (Newport/Stanford) – Had at least one hit in all seven games he played to run current hitting streak to 11 straight games. Posted four multi-hit games along the way while he ranked second in the league with 12 total hits, batting .444. He also scored four runs, drove in eight, had a league-leading four doubles and bashed three homers, as well.
Justin Willis (Keene/Vanderbilt) – Made two bullpen appearances last week and shined in both, earning the win in relief during one outing whil securing a save in the other. Fanned six over 3-1/3 innings of hitless ball in a win at Sanford on July 9 before striking out 2-of-3 batters in a one-run save against Mystic on July 13.
