
Last week we took a look at how the UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball players were doing in the Futures League. This week, it’s the New England Collegiate Baseball League. There are 13 teams in the league and on Sunday, the league held its annual All-Star game in Connecticut. So the league has a couple of days off to get ready for the stretch run to the playoffs.
There are members of the River Hawks in this league. We start with the North Shore Navigators where OF Alexander Luccini is spending his summer. The senior-to-be has had a rough time with the Navigators. He has appeared in 29 games for North Shore and his batting average is a hard to understand .043 (2-for-47). One of his two hits is a double. He has scored 7 runs and stolen 7 bases. Luccini’s last hit came on the Fourth of July vs Danbury. Since then, he has gone 0-for-16. We are talking about a player that back in the spring for the River Hawks hit .290 with nine HRs and 39 RBI. Alex had 64 hits in over 200 at-bats. With fall ball about seven weeks away, it is important for Luccini to find his swing and his confidence before that begins.
In Vermont, a pair of River Hawks are playing for the Mountaineers. In the bullpen, Joshua Keevan is having a bit of a comeback summer. He has a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 3.37. He has made nine appearances with 10,2 IP, 13 strikeouts and six walks. He has allowed eight hits. In his last six trips to the mound for Vermont, Keevan has allowed only two runs, zero of them earned. Only three hits in those outings. This stretch from June 21 to July 10 has helped this team get the top spot in North Division (24-8).
Another player that is having a major role in the Mountaineers being in first place is OF Carlos Martinez. The left-handed hitting outfield is hitting .314 (27-for-86) with two HRs and 18 RBI. He has five doubles and has scored nine times. He has five stolen bases and has hit into only one double play in those 86 at-bats. Carlos has eight multi-hit games and two three-hit games. Martinez has shown an ability to take the ball the other way with most of his hits to the left side of the diamond.
In Newport, RHP Nick DiRito is coming out of the Gulls bullpen. In nine appearances, he has a record of 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA. In 10 innings, walks have been a problem for DiRito as he has allowed 15 while only giving up five hits. Throwing strike one has been somewhat of a concern for Nick. He has allowed runs in seven of the nine times he has been on the bump while allowing at least one walk in eight of the nine appearances.
At North Adams, a couple of River Hawks pitchers are working for the SteepleCats. RHP Cam Sime appeared in four games with one of those being a start and his record is 0-1 with a 7.87 ERA. In eight innings, he has allowed 11 hits with seven strikeouts and walks. Sime allowed runs in every outing he had. His last appearance was on June 21. RHP Michael Simes, on the other hand, has been quite busy for North Adams. His record is 0-3 with a 6.82 ERA. He has made six starts in seven games throwing 31.2 IP and giving up 33 hits. He has struck out 29 and has walked 13. He has gone at least five innings four times. While giving up runs in every appearance he has made.
Next up for some is the playoffs. For everyone, fall ball is around the corner.
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