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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Newport infielder Dalton Reed (Kentucky) and Valley closer Ricky Reynoso (Pacific) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts on the diamond for Week 7 of the 2018 season.
Reed – who was named to the 2018 NECBL All-Star Game roster for the South in the reserve spot at first base – had 11 hits for the week while batting an even .500, going 11-for-22 at the dish, one hit shy of the league lead. He did, however, lead the league with four long balls while adding two doubles. He drove in nine runs (second in the league) and scored six runs himself. He had at least one hit in every single game and got his big week started with a 5-for-5 showing with two homers and six RBIs in a huge win over division-leading Plymouth last Monday. He played in five Newport victories last week, helping the streaking Gulls get back in the playoff picture.
Reed – a rising junior at Kentucky – is batting .302 for the summer with 38 hits in 126 at-bats. He has 27 runs scored, 10 homers and 27 RBIs, as well as six doubles. He ranks among league leaders in home runs, RBIs and runs scored.
Reynoso – who was named the closer for the North Division in next Sunday’s All-Star Game – played an important role in three more Valley victories last week for the league-leading and defending champion Blue Sox. He first pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and only two hits allowed in a 1-0 victory over Vermont. Three days later, he added another inning of scoreless relief to secure a save in a two-run win over Winnipesaukee; finally, he came into a two-run game with the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning and promptly retired the final batter to lock up another save.
The rising senior at Pacific saw his ERA shrink to 0.96 for the summer. He now has five saves and a 3-0 record after 15 appearances – all relief outings – through 18-2/3 innings of work. Also boasting a 0.75 WHIP, Reynoso has struck out 15 while issuing only four walks, and opponents are batting .154 against him.
Week 7 Honor Roll
Christopher Berry (Upper Valley/North Florida) – The All-Star Game reserve at second base helped Upper Valley go 4-2 on the week by totaling nine hits over six games. He added a 4-for-5 showing in a big win over North Adams before another two-hit outing that featured two doubles in another win over the SteepleCats. Finished with four doubles and four runs scored.
Grant English (Ocean State/Winthrop) – The starting first baseman for the South in next week’s All-Star Game added nine more hits to his resume last week while boasting a trio of multi-hit games. Drove in eight runs while adding three doubles and a homer, as well as four runs scored and three stolen bases.
Andrew Kneussle (Vermont/Canisius) – Did just about everything in his power in a fantastic start last week, striking out nine over eight scoreless innings while issuing only one walk and six hits as part of a no decision.
Griff McGarry (Keene/Virginia) – One of the pitchers for the North in next Sunday’s All-Star Game dazzled over 4-1/3 scoreless innings of a no decision in his most recent start. Struck out 11 of the 19 batters he faced while allowing just one hit and working around five walks to pace the Swamp Bats to an important win over Sanford.
Ronald Medina (Vermont/Keystone) – Finished with 11 hits overall on the strength of three multi-hit games – including a 3-for-4 and 4-for-4 showing on back-to-back nights – to help Vermont maintain pace for the final playoff spot in the North. Batted .478 with five runs, four doubles, a homer and a league-leading 12 RBIs, as well.
Dillon Mendel (North Adams/Rowan) – Led the league with 12 total hits over the past week while securing four multi-hit performances, including a trio of three-hit games. Batted .545 (second in the league) in that span with five runs scored and four RBIs.
Jaron Robinson (Valley/Murray State) – The starting shortstop for the North in the All-Star Game finished with hits in all but one of the five games he played – all Valley victories. More impressively, he had two hits or more in three of those games, with three hits in two of them. Led the league with a .563 batting average while scoring three runs and poking one double. Also drew four walks and stole two bases.
Russell Smith (Newport/TCU) – Pitched a very quality start as part of an important win over Mystic on July 20. He tossed six scoreless with seven strikeouts, a walk and only four hits allowed to notch his second win of the summer.
Cole Stetzar (Upper Valley/St. Joseph’s) – Rang up eight batters over seven innings in a fabulous start that led Upper Valley to a key win over Sanford. He scattered six hits and yielded only one earned run and a walk to pick up his second win of the summer and trim his ERA under 2.00.
Kyle Whitten (Keene/Virginia) – Went seven scoreless innings while giving up no walks and scattering six hits to pace Keene to a 2-0 victory over New Bedford on July 20, picking up his second win of the summer in the process.
