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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Two of the league leaders in major statistical categories have taken home Week 2 recognition from the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), as Vermont infielder Austin Gauthier (Hofstra) and Newport left-handed pitcher Michael Sansone (Fairfield) have been named the league’s Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Gauthier shared the league’s lead in total hits for the week with nine coming in 21 at-bats, good for a .429 batting average that was also among the league’s best in that span. Three of those hits went for extra bases, including two doubles and a triple. He also drove in five runs while scoring four himself in addition to drawing a pair of walks, stealing two bases and committing just a pair of strikeouts. The right-handed hitter out of Lorton, Virginia, had at least one hit in all five games played last week, with three multi-hit performances during that span, as well. Gauthier bumped his average up to .414 for the summer at the end of his strong week.
The rising junior at Hofstra batted .269 as a sophomore and had 46 hits for the Pride, including eight doubles, two triples and two homers while driving in 22 and scoring 25. He posted a .950 fielding percentage and added 12 stolen bases.
Sansone’s third outing of the summer was a dominant one, as he came out of the bullpen and gave the Gulls just what they needed in an eventual 5-3 win over Danbury. He tossed four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the 12 batters he faced, none of which recorded a hit. That followed another strong 2-1/3 innings of work in a 12-7 victory over Ocean State last Monday during which he fanned five of the eight opposing hitters he went up against in another scoreless outing. Sansone’s numbers for the summer are dazzling, with 14 strikeouts in 8-1/3 scoreless innings of relief with just two hits allowed in that span.
The rising sophomore at Fairfield saw action in 15 games (14 starts) as a rookie this spring, recording 63 strikeouts in over 83 innings of work while going 5-3 on the bump.
Week 1 Honor Roll – Position Players
Colton Bender (Newport, C/3B, Quinnipiac), Terry Bowens (Mystic, IF/OF, CCSU), Elijah Dunham (Ocean State, LF/RF, Indiana), David Matthews (Keene, CB/1B, CCSU), Jackson Raper (Martha’s Vineyard, IF, Catawba)
Week 1 Honor Roll – Pitchers
Jacob Abbott (North Adams, RHP, Eastern Kentucky), Luke Albright (Keene, RHP, Kent State) Rob Griswold (Valley, RHP, Long Island U.), Trey Shaffer (Valley, LHP, Southeastern Louisiana), Tyler Thorington (Vermont, RHP, Western Michigan)
