Binghamton’s Jay Balback (Millsboro, Del./Susex/Delaware Technical CC) has been named America East Player of the Week, while Mike McDonald (Camden, Maine/Camden-Rockport) of Maine and Brendon Hitchcock (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley) of Binghamton received Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors respectively. The awards were announced Monday (April 19).
Balback went 14-for-21 (.667) this week with five home runs and 14 RBI enroute to a 1.52 slugging percentage. The senior third baseman’s five homers on the week upped his season total to nine and his career total to 22, a new school record in just one-plus seasons. He is currently riding a 10-game hit streak as the Bearcats have won six in a row and 11 of their last 13 and has strings of at least three hits and two or more RBI in five straight games.
McDonald struck out a career-high 15 batters in eight innings with just two walks and one earned run as the Black Bears defeated Hartford 2-1. The senior fanned 15 of the 32 batters he faced and had at least two strikeouts in six of the eight innings, striking out the side in the fifth. With his performance he moved into third place on Maine’s all-time strikeout list with 245 career K’s.
Hitchcock of Binghamton wins his second straight Rookie of the Week award as he hit .526 (10-for-19) with one homer and nine RBI. The first baseman is currently riding a 12-game hit streak and has been critical in the Bearcats six-game win streak. Over that span he is hitting .464 and .481 against league foes.