Sikes, Van Vossen Claim NECBL Week 2 Awards
Valley/Newport duo take home Player/Pitcher of the Week honors Monday
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – After sharing the league lead in extra-base hits and ranking first in the league in strikeouts in just one appearance, respectively, Valley first baseman Charles Sikes and Newport right-handed hurler Mick Van Vossen have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced by the league offices Monday.
In a week where several position players across the league stood out, Sikes edged the field with a strong in the five games he played. The rising junior at Savannah State finished 7-for-19 at the dish, batting .368 on the week. In five games, he scored five runs and boasted two doubles and two home runs, as well, while driving in four runs.
In five games, he reached safely in all five, hit in four of them and boasted a two-hit and three-hit performance, as well. He launched a three-run homer in a 6-0 win against Keene on June 12 to highlight his week.
Sikes’ success over the league’s second week continues what has been a strong start to the early 2014 campaign. On the season, the Hinesville, Georgia native ranks fifth in the league with a .400 batting average (12-for-30), tied-for-second in home runs (2), tied-for-first in games played (8), second in hits (12) first in total bases (21), third in doubles (2), tied-for-first in extra-base hits (5) and second in slugging percentage (.700).
Meanwhile on the mound, Van Vossen – who excelled with the Gulls a summer ago in their starting rotation – made his first appearance of the 2014 season a memorable one; the Michigan State right-hander entered in relief on June 11 against New Bedford, and carved the Bay Sox lineup to the tune of a five-inning, 11-strikeout shutout effort to pick up the win out of the bullpen. Van Vossen walked none and yielded just three hits against the 17 batters he faced, finishing the week with a 0.60 WHIP and a .176 batting average against.
Player/Pitcher of the Week News Archive
Week 1: Guglietti (Plymouth)/Davis (Vermont)
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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the NECBL started play in 1994 and has sent over 100 alumni to the Major Leagues. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter and on Facebook.
