NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – After helping his team reach the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Championship Series for the first time in franchise history, Ocean State infielder Randell Kanemaru (Columbia) has been named the NECBL Sportsman of the Year, as announced Wednesday night.

In his first summer with the Waves, Kanemaru established himself as a team leader on the field and in the community, as Ocean State posted its best season in the young franchise’s history. The Waves won a league-best 31 games and went on to reach the NECBL Championship Series for the first time ever.

On the diamond, Kanemaru was stellar, finishing with a .276 batting average on 42 hits in 152 at-bats. He scored 22 runs and totaled 10 doubles and mashed eight home runs while driving in 29 more scores. He posted an .853 OPS while slugging .500 in the regular season.

A Santa Anna, California, native, Kanemaru enters his senior season looking to top the best year of his college career. An ABCA All-Northeast Region Second Team selection, Kanemaru was also the Ivy League Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection. He led the Ancient Eight with a .395 batting average, which was sixth in the NCAA, and posted 1.58 hits per game, which was ranked 10th nationally.

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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.