NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Valley outfielder Brian Hart (Marist) and Upper Valley right-hander Zane Kmietek (Marist) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the opening week of the 2021 regular season.
Hart, whose Blue Sox are off to a 3-1 start to pace the Southern Division in total wins out of the gate, has paced a Valley offense that has averaged seven runs per game thus far. He has at least one hit in all four outings, including a pair of two-hit nights. His five RBIs and three home runs are both at the top of the league leader boards, while his six hits to date are one off the league lead. Hart’s OPS is well over 1.000 (1.350) while he boasts an impressive .375 / .412 / .938 slash line after a week of action.
Hart is coming off a junior campaign with Marist that saw him bat .326 with a .972 OPS, 31 total hits, five homers and 28 RBIs.
Coincidentally enough, Hart’s teammate at Marist – Kmietek – has been an instant impact out of the gate for the unbeaten Nighthawks, who are 3-0 in the early goings. The righty and rising junior has logged two bullpen appearances and has dazzled in each of them, tossing two scoreless innings each time while facing the near-minimum thus far. Kmietek made his NECBL debut with two scoreless innings that featured three strikeouts and only one hit yielded in a win over Keene on June 4. Two days later, the Branford, Connecticut, native saw the minimum while striking out three more for a two-inning save against Winnipesaukee in last night’s 3-2 win at home. His WHIP through two outings is a miniscule 0.250 while opponents are hitting just .077 against him.
Kmietek was stellar for Marist out of the bullpen this spring, earning four wins in relief while pitching to a 2.57 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 14.0 innings; he fanned 16, walked 7 and held opponents to just 14 hits in that span for the Red Foxes.
Week 1 Honor Roll – Position PlayersCole Andrews (Valley, C, Miami); Brendan Cumming (Mystic, OF/2B, Princeton); Calvin Hewett (Sanford, CF/OF, Vanderbilt); Justin Kapuscinski (Danbury, C/1B, Marist); Barry Walsh (Mystic, OF, Boston College)
Week 1 Honor Roll – PitchersRandall Alejo (Upper Valley, RHP, Saint Rose); Michael Bacica (Keene, RHP, Maine); Jacob Edwards (Sanford, LHP, UNC Asheville); Brandyn Garcia (Newport, LHP, Quinnipiac); Ryan Towle (Valley, RHP, UMass Lowell)
