CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After leading Stony Brook to a series win over Hartford to clinch the final spot in the 2013 America East Baseball Championship, junior Brandon McNitt earned Pitcher of the Week honors and freshman Jack Parenty was named Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Maine second baseman Troy Black also earned an award, being named Player of the Week as part of the season’s final weekly honors.
Black (Mississauga, Ontario) led the conference with an incredible .692 batting average in Maine’s three game series against UMBC, helping the Black bears take two-of-three. The second baseman went 9-for-13, recording three hits in each of the contests, while driving in five runs, scoring three and notching two extra-base hits. He finished with a .923 slugging percentage and a .733 on-base percentage while going a perfect five-for-five on stolen bases. Black drove in the game's lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning in Maine's 1-0 win over UMBC on Friday night.
McNitt (Chino Hills, Calif.) came up big when the Seawolves needed him most, pitching seven solid innings in Stony Brook's series and playoff clinching win at Hartford on Saturday. He kept the Hawks off the scoreboard for the first six innings while the Seawolves offense handed him an 8-0 lead. McNitt was very efficient in doing so as he had a 10-pitch fifth inning and a six-pitch sixth inning. The junior scattered five hits and allowed one run while walking one and striking out six. He earned his third win of the season and sports a 2.63 ERA over his last four starts.
Parenty (Wantagh, N.Y.) hit a blistering .500 (9-for-18) with two sacrifices and a walk in four games last week, padding his active hitting streak to 10 games. He scored four runs, including the first run in each of Stony Brook's games at Hartford. The freshman’s one-out single in game one at Hartford sparked a two-run inning that held up in SBU’s 2-1 win. He then led off both game two and game three with singles and came around to score, igniting a Seawolves offense that scored 18 runs in the two games combined. Against Sacred Heart, Parenty went 4-for-5, the third time this season he's had a four-hit game.
Notes: Maine clinched its first America East regular-season title since 2002 and its third in program history with… Maine starting pitcher Tommy Lawrence set an America East single-season record with eight wins during league play… Stony Brook has qualified for the America East Championship 11 times in 12 seasons in the conference… This is the fifth-straight year Albany, Binghamton, Maine and Stony Brook will be the four teams participating in the conference tournament.
2013 America East Baseball Weekly Award Winners
Feb. 18 –Player of the Week: Colin Gay (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Frankie Vanderka (Stony Brook); Rookie of the Week: Daniel Zamora (Stony Brook)
Feb. 25 – Player of the Week: Michael Fransoso (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Tommy Lawrence (Maine); Rookie of the Week: Logan Fullmer (Maine)
March 4 – Player of the Week: Jake Thomas (Binghamton); Pitcher of the Week: Jay Lynch (Binghamton); Rookie of the Week: Jake Cryts (Binghamton)
March 11 – Player of the Week: Jordon Smucker (Binghamton); Pitcher of the Week: Frankie Vanderka (Stony Brook ); Rookie of the Week: Austin Shives (Stony Brook)
March 18 – Player of the Week: Brandon Coluccio (UMBC); Pitcher of the Week: Tommy Lawrence (Maine); Rookie of the Week: Jake Marks (Maine)
March 25 – Player of the Week: Nolan Gaige (Albany); Pitcher of the Week: Tommy Lawrence (Maine); Rookie of the Week: Jack Parenty (Stony Brook)
April 1 – Player of the Week: Eric White (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Sean Newcomb (Hartford); Rookie of the Week: Daniel Zamora (Stony Brook)
April 8 – Player of the Week: Josh Nethaway (Albany); Pitcher of the Week: Tommy Lawrence (Maine); Rookie of the Week: Chris DelDebbio (Hartford)
April 15- Player of the Week: Eric White (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Jay Lynch (Binghamton); Rookie of the Week: Tim Knesnik (Stony Brook)
April 22 - Player of the Week: Josh Nethaway (Albany); Pitcher of the Week: Jake Lambert (Binghamton); Rookie of the Week: Daniel Zamora (Stony Brook)
April 29 - Player of the Week: Kevin Courtney (Stony Brook); Pitcher of the Week: Sean Newcomb (Hartford); Rookie of the Week: Daniel Zamora (Stony Brook)
May 6 – Player of the Week: Daniel Nevares (Binghamton); Pitcher of the Week: Austin Chase (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Tim Knesnik (Stony Brook)
May 13 - Player of the Week: Eric White (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Mac Gill (UMBC); Rookie of the Week: Kevin LaChance (UMBC)
May 20 - Player of the Week: Troy Black (Maine); Pitcher of the Week: Brandon McNitt (Stony Brook); Rookie of the Week: Jack Parenty (Stony Brook)