NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Newport outfielder Isaiah Thomas (Vanderbilt) and Sanford right-handed pitcher Trevor LaBonte (Maryland) were named the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Thomas led the Gulls and tied for the league lead with 14 hits on the week, batting .467 since last Monday while helping Newport pick up four wins along the way. He was among the league leaders with nine runs scored, four doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in that span while going 3-for-3 on the base paths. His 1.384 OPS was also in the top-10 in the league last week thanks to a .900 slugging percentage and .484 on-base percentage. He had at least one hit in every game with three three-hit performances and two four-hit outings, including a 4-for-4 showing with two homers, four runs scored and four RBIs in a win on July 9 at Danbury.
After his heroics last week, Thomas now owns a .353 batting average with four doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs with a .353/.421/.608 slash line and 1.029 OPS. He also has six stolen bases on the year. Thomas batted .368 as a rookie for national champion Vanderbilt this past spring, adding three doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs to his resume.
LaBonte tossed just over seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball in his fifth start of the summer just under a week ago, willing the Mainers to an important 4-0 shutout win against Upper Valley. He fanned seven with just two hits and a walk yielded while facing 25 batters. His 0.41 WHIP was among the best in the league last week. He picked up his first win of the summer in the process. The righty logged nearly 65 innings for Maryland this past year with 52 strikeouts.
Week 5 Honor Roll – Position Players
David Bedgood (Keene, IF/OF, Tulane), Alan Bursed (Martha’s Vineyard, OF, Florida Southern), Sam Cochrane (Winnipesaukee, CF/RF, Eckerd), Sam Henrie (New Bedford, 1B, SNHU), Scout Knotts (North Adams, LF, Shippensburg)
Week 5 Honor Roll – Pitchers
Nicholas DeGennaro (Vermont, RHP, Stony Brook), Liam Dvorak (Ocean State, RHP, Holy Cross), Aaron Haase (Upper Valley, RHP, Wichita State), Izaiya Mestre (Martha’s Vineyard, RHP, New Haven), Nicholas Payero (North Adams, RHP, Seton Hall)
