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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is pleased to unveil the members of the 2015 All-NECBL First and Second Teams, it was announced by Commissioner Sean McGrath on Monday.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is pleased to unveil the members of the 2015 All-NECBL First and Second Teams, it was announced by Commissioner Sean McGrath on Monday.
Comprised of a position player at each spot on the diamond, a designated hitter, three starting pitchers and a closer on each side, the league honored 26 student-athletes on their outstanding summers in the New England League, which came to a close earlier this month when the Vermont Mountaineers topped the Mystic Schooners in a wild best-of-three NECBL Championship Series that went the distance.
“What a season,” exclaimed McGrath in summation. “I hope everyone enjoyed a very entertaining championship series to cap off an incredibly memorable summer. Special thanks to Mystic and Vermont for serving as such great hosts for the championship series, and of course congratulations again to Vermont on winning it all!
“Over the past two weeks, we’ve had the joy of unveiling our major award winners one by one,” McGrath continued. “In a league full of such incredible student-athletes, some of which will one day take to the diamonds in the Major Leagues, there are so many worthy candidates of special recognition. We congratulate all award winners, and to all members of the All-NECBL Teams. You all should be so proud of everything you accomplished this summer, and I know I speak on behalf of all 12 organizations in saying that we thank you for being a part of our tradition!”
Appropriately enough, the league’s last two teams standing – Vermont and Mystic – led the pack in the all-league voting. Mystic paced the group with five selections, while Vermont finished with four. Four teams saw three of their players recognized in Laconia, Newport, Ocean State and Sanford, while Plymouth had two honorees. Finally, Danbury, New Bedford and North Adams all had one selection.
In addition to the list of major award winners unveiled in the last two weeks, the league also would like to recognize its 2015 batting champion – Sanford catcher Dalton Thomas – who finished the summer batting .380 on 57 hits (2nd/NECBL). Thomas, a rising junior at Arkansas-Little Rock, posted 81 total bases, 13 doubles, and slugged .540.
“Dalton had one of the most special summers in the history of the NECBL,” Sanford head coach Aaron Izaryk stated. “He is a tremendous offensive player who quickly became a fan favorite at Goodall Park after fans saw just how hard he played and thoroughly enjoyed playing the game. Dalton has a bright future ahead of him on the field, we are very excited to call Dalton a Sanford Mainers alumni and equally excited to see what he does at Arkansas-Little Rock moving forward.”
2015 All-NECBL Teams
| 1st Team All-NECBL | 2nd Team All-NECBL | |
| C | Deon Stafford, Laconia Muskrats (St. Josephs) | Chuckie Robinson, Ocean State Waves (Southern Miss) |
| 1B | TJ Lynch, Ocean State (Southern Miss) | Max Beermann, Newport (Villanova) |
| 2B | Brian Mims, Laconia (UNCW) | Tom Roulis, Vermont (Dartmouth) |
| SS | Sam Dexter, Sanford (So. Maine) | Aaron Hill, Mystic (UCONN) |
| 3B | Mandy Alvarez, Plymouth (Eastern Kentucky) | Rich Slenker, Mystic (Yale) |
| OF | Joven Afenir, Newport (Kansas) | Cody Acker, Danbury (VCU) |
| OF | Brent Rooker, Plymouth (Miss. St.) | Dylan Burdeaux, Ocean State (Southern Miss) |
| OF | Ben Ruta, Mystic (Wagner) | Jack Parenty, Vermont (Stony Brook) |
| DH | Dalton Thomas, Sanford (Arkansas, Little Rock) | Dan Hoy, Mystic (Princeton) |
| P | Casey Brown, Vermont (CCSU) | Dakota Edwards, North Adams (Bridgeport) |
| P | Michael Mertz, Newport (Oklahoma St.) | Willie Rios, Mystic (Maryland) |
| P | Tim Viehoff, Laconia (So. N.H) | Ben Wessel, Sanford (URI) |
| Closer | Sam Delaplane, Vermont (Eastern Michigan) | Jon Escobar, New Bedford (Holy Cross) |
2015 NECBL End-of-Year Awards
Rick Ligi League MVP: Brent Rooker (Plymouth)
Top Pro Prospect – Willie Rios (Mystic)
Rookie of the Year – Deon Stafford (Laconia)
Joey Cooney Manager of the Year – Aaron Izaryk (Sanford)
Sportsman of the Year – Aaron Hill (Mystic)
Most Improved Player – Brent Rooker (Plymouth)
Christopher Ashmos 10th Player Award – Sam Dexter (Sanford)
Top Relief Pitcher – Sam Delaplane (Vermont)
Best Defensive Player – Manny De Jesus (Valley)
Robin Roberts Top Starting Pitcher – Tim Viehoff (Laconia)
Rick Ligi League MVP: Brent Rooker (Plymouth)
Top Pro Prospect – Willie Rios (Mystic)
Rookie of the Year – Deon Stafford (Laconia)
Joey Cooney Manager of the Year – Aaron Izaryk (Sanford)
Sportsman of the Year – Aaron Hill (Mystic)
Most Improved Player – Brent Rooker (Plymouth)
Christopher Ashmos 10th Player Award – Sam Dexter (Sanford)
Top Relief Pitcher – Sam Delaplane (Vermont)
Best Defensive Player – Manny De Jesus (Valley)
Robin Roberts Top Starting Pitcher – Tim Viehoff (Laconia)
