Stony Brook’s Robert Leonard (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) earns the first Player of the Week award of his career, while Albany’s Mark Suchowiecki (New Windsor, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) garners his second Pitcher of the Week award. Maine’s Jose Mendoza (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) has been named Rookie of the Week for the first time this season. The accolades were announced on Monday (May 22).
In a must win weekend, Leonard provided the fuel for the Stony Brook offense, batting a team best .583 with six runs scored and six runs driven in. In the Game 1 win, Leonard was 3-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double and three runs scored. With the Seawolves down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh in Game 3, Leonard delivered the game-winning walk-off two run homerun to lift Stony Brook to the 3-2 victory. In the final game of the series with a playoff berth on the line, Leonard, for the second straight game, delivered the game-winning homerun. In the seventh with the Seawolves trailing 4-1, Leonard blasted a grand-slam over the left field fence to give the Seawolves a 5-4 lead. Leonard slugged 1.167 over the four game series, and was instrumental in clinching the Seawolves spot in the America East Tournament.
Suchowiecki fired a four-hit shutout in a complete-game effort against Binghamton on Friday. The senior left-hander, who improved to 6-4 with the victory, allowed just four singles in his team’s 7-0 victory. He struck out eight and walked three in the 123-pitch effort. In six America East Conference starts this season, Suchowiecki is 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA and two complete-game shutouts.
Mendoza picked up a pair of America East wins for Maine, posting a team-best 2.08 ERA on the week. He went eight innings allowing three runs and striking out four in an 11-3 win over Hartford on May 15 and followed that up with a 4-1 win over Vermont in a five-inning game on Saturday, May 20. Mendoza allowed just three hits and one unearned run in the win, while fanning two batters in the game.