With New Bedford racing out to a 4-1 record and the top of the Southern Division, two Bay Sox players were named to the NECBL Week 1 Honor Roll for their outstanding performances from June 5th to June 10th.

Austin Markmann (Sacred Heart) leads the league in hitting with an absurd .571 average through his first four contests with the Bay Sox.  The third baseman has a hit in every game, tallied two three-hit performances, and has flashed some serious glovework manning the hot corner for the South-leading Bay Sox.  Among players with 15 or more at-bats, Markmann is first in on-base percentage (.625) and third in OPS (1.268), adding two walks, one double, five runs, one stolen base, and three RBIs in 16 plate appearances.

Jared Shuster (Wake Forest) has looked overpowering in his two starts for New Bedford, striking out a league-high 19 batters in just 10.2 innings.  The New Bedford native worked 4.2 innings on Opening Night against the Newport Gulls, whiffing ten batters while walking two in a no-decision.  Shuster did not factor into the decision again on Sunday night vs. Keene, but did toss six strong innings with nine K’s, one walk, and one run allowed.  The sophomore is averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning, and has at least one K in every inning he has pitched this season.

As a team, the Bay Sox are second in the 13-team league in ERA, allowing just over two runs per nine innings (2.20 ERA).  New Bedford is second in WHIP (1.13), third in opponent batting average (.206) and are tied for the league lead in saves, as three different hurlers have closed out a close victory – Michael Young (Stonehill), Noah Stern (Barry) and C.J. Dandeneau (UConn).  Seven Bay Sox pitchers currently hold a perfect 0.00 ERA through the first five games of the year, and no starter has allowed more than three runs in an outing.

New Bedford’s offense has also been impressive through the first week of the season, toting a .270 average, which is fourth in the NECBL through June 11th. While the Bay Sox are towards the middle of the pack in runs scored, they are one of the most aggressive teams on the bases, with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts.  Eight Bay Sox players have swiped at least one base this season, with Logan Allen (Bridgeport), Elijah Brown (Sacred Heart), Jack Winkler (San Francisco), and Chandler Debrosse (Central Connecticut State) each stealing two bases without being thrown out.