NEWS

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Laconia catcher Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) has been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2015 season, the league announced Thursday.

A rising sophomore at St. Joseph’s, Stafford’s first summer in the NECBL was excellent; the right-handed catcher played all but one game in the regular season and helped lead the Muskrats to the playoffs thanks to a fourth-place finish in the North Division standings.

“I don't think I have been around a player like Deon before,” said Laconia head coach Nick Cenatiempo. “A student-athlete with his maturity at 18 years old is rare. He is a legitimate five-tool player. I don't see another player in this league that has more potential than Deon. He's a well-mannered young man, always respectful, takes pride in his work ethic and represents his family and institution in a positive manner. His future is definitely bright.”

“We expected Deon to be good, but he certainly exceeded our expectations,” stated Laconia general manager Noah Crane. “We signed him in the early fall because his coach had high praise for him as a player and as a young man. Deon is hard-working, mature, and respectful, on top of being immensely talented. His season was impressive for any player but to accomplish it as a freshman is remarkable.”

Stafford’s bat was quite potent; his .329 batting average was seventh-best in the league, and his 52 hits were tied for fourth among all players. Furthermore, Stafford led the league with 16 doubles and 23 extra-base hits and racked up 88 total bases (2nd/NECBL), while his .557 slugging percentage was third-best in the New England League.

While he played 11 games as an outfielder to extend his durability, Stafford was an excellent defensive catcher as well, throwing out 14 would-be base-stealers in 73 attempts (19.2%).

Stafford’s success should surprise few after he broke onto the scene with an outstanding rookie campaign with Saint Joseph’s. He led the Hawks in batting average (.341) and doubles (19) while scoring 36 runs and driving in 26 more while posting a .923 OPS.

2015 NECBL End-of-Year Awards
Rookie of the Year – Deon Stafford (Laconia)
Joey Cooney Manager of the Year – Aaron Izaryk (Sanford)
Sportsman of the Year – Aaron Hill (Mystic)
Most Improved Player – Brent Rooker (Plymouth)
Christopher Ashmos 10th Player Award – Sam Dexter (Sanford)
Top Relief Pitcher – Sam Delaplane (Vermont)
Best Defensive Player – Manny De Jesus (Valley)
Robin Roberts Top Starting Pitcher – Tim Viehoff (Laconia)

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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.