NEWS

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – New Bedford short stop Corey Joyce (North Carolina Central) and North Adams right-hander Blake Whitney (South Carolina Upstate) have been named the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their efforts on the diamond in Week 3 of the 2017 season.

In four games last week, Joyce had a hit in every contest and posted multiple-hit performances in three out of those four games. His 11 hits were tied for the lead league since last Monday, while his .579 batting average also led the league. The North Carolina Central product went 11-for-19 on the week while scoring four runs and leading the league with five doubles. He also drove in six runs and added a stolen base.

Along the way, Joyce posted a a five-hit game after going 5-for-6 with three doubles and four RBIs in a victory over Newport on June 23. He then went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs in a 7-6 victory on Saturday over one of the NECBL’s top teams in Upper Valley. Joyce is batting .385 on the summer (20-52) with five doubles, a triple and seven RBIs while scoring 15 runs.

A rising sophomore at North Carolina Central, Joyce posted a .344 batting average on 65 hits while scoring 34 runs, drilling 11 doubles and driving in 43 total runs. He was an All-MEAC First Team selection and was the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

Whitney, meanwhile, has been one of the elite arms of the league early on this season, and the gem he tossed in a 4-1 June 20 victory over Vermont was one of the top pitching performances thus far. The right-hander struck out 11 and walked none while scattering two hits as part of seven innings of one-run ball. The rising senior picked up his first win of the summer and lowered his ERA to 2.11 and his WIHP to 0.71. His 29 strikeouts are tied for the league lead and he has issued just one walk thus far.

Whitney was a starter for USC Upstate this past spring, making 21 appearances (13 starts) while striking out a team-most 82 over 73-2/3 innings, also a team-high for the pitching staff.

The NECBL congrats both players on their accomplishments.

2017 NECBL Weekly Awards Archive
Week 1 – Venuto (Plymouth)/Elliott (Keene)
Week 2 – Eikhoff (Keene)/Smith (Valley)

Week 1 Honor Roll

PJ Browne (Winnipesaukee/Merrimack) – Tossed one of only two complete games in the league last week, throwing nine shutout innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first win of the summer.

Anthony Catinella (Winnipesaukee/Molloy) – Fanned 10 as part of a quality start that included six innings of no earned runs (one unearned), four hits and three walks in a no decision.

Koby Claborn (Winnipesaukee/Abilene Christian) – Led the league with three home runs last week while adding two doubles and six RBIs. Also scored four runs.

Tim Elliott (Keene/Georgia) – Improved to 3-0 after another dominant outing, recording nine strikeouts with only one walk allowed and three hits scattered over seven shutout innings in a victory over North Adams.

Frank Gregoire (Upper Valley/Marist) – Had a hit in all but one of five games last week, including a pair of two-hit games and his first four-hit performance of the summer. Batted .409 on the week (9-22) with four doubles, a homer and seven RBIs.

Kyle Mora (Newport/UCLA) – Tossed seven stellar innings of relief across two appearances last week, racking up 10 strikeouts while walking none and issuing just five hits over seven innings. His second outing featured eight strikeouts over four innings with no walks or runs allowed.

Luke Reynolds (Upper Valley/Southern Mississippi) – Had a hit in five of six games last week, posting four multi-hit performances. His nine hits ranked tied for third in the league last week while his seven runs scored were one shy of the league lead in that span. Also totaled seven RBIs, three doubles and a home run.

Haren Sardinas (Plymouth/Maine) – Led the league with 11 hits and ranked second with a .500 batting average (11-22). Also led the league with 10 RBIs while seven of those 11 hits went for extra bases, including four doubles and two home runs. Had a 5-for-5 showing at the dish in one of those games.

Dan Schock (New Bedford/Sacred Heart) – Tallied a hit in all five games he played last week with three multi-hit performances in that span. Batted .421 on the week (8-19) with five runs scored, three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs.

Tyler Smith (Valley/Canisius) – Led the league in saves for the second straight week, picking up two more after closing out a pair of victories on June 20 and June 23, respectively. He gave up one hit over 2-1/3 innings with three strikeouts and a walk allowed.

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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 130 alumni to the Major Leagues. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter and on Facebook.