The final week of the 2018 HCBL regular season saw two student-athletes recognized for their incredible play. Shelter Island’s Jake MacKenzie (Fordham) was named the New Era Cap Player of the Week while Westhampton’s Tyler Thorington (Western Michigan) was awarded the Ace Hardware Pitcher of the Week award for the second time this season.

MacKenzie was a key player in getting the Bucks to their first HCBL postseason since 2015. On July 20th against North Fork with the Bucks needing a win to clinch the playoffs, MacKenzie went 6-for-6 with a double and 4 RBI in Shelter Island’s 16-5 victory over North Fork. The six-hit game was only the second time in HCBL history that a player accomplished that feat.

MacKenzie would follow up the next day against Sag Harbor going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and 4 RBI in a game the Bucks would win by a final score of 17-15 in ten innings. MacKenzie batted .545 in the final week of the regular season going 12-for-22 scoring 12 runs with three home runs and 10 RBI. The Wallingford, Connecticut native finished the regular season hitting .345 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.

Thorington on July 22nd against the Sag Harbor Whalers went seven innings only allowing a run on three hits with 12 strikeouts and three walks. It was the second time this season that Thorington threw 12 strikeouts against Sag Harbor, both times leaving him one shy of the single game franchise record of 13 for Westhampton.

The HCBL weekly awards are voted on by the league’s seven head coaches and are announced each Monday.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
New Era Cap Player of the Week

Week 1 (6/1 to 6/7): Alex Volpi: IF, Holy Cross/Shelter Island

Week 2 (6/8 to 6/14): Nick Thornquist: C, UT San Antonio/Sag Harbor

Week 3 (6/15 to 6/21): Alex Volpi, IF, Holy Cross/Shelter Island

Week 4 (6/22 to 6/28): Tyler Becker, IF, Adelphi/Westhampton

                                     Tyler Shedler-McAvoy, OF, Seton Hall/North Fork

Week 5 (6/29 to 7/5): John Behrends, OF, Belmont/Shelter Island

                                   Eduardo Malinowski, IF, Pennsylvania/Riverhead

Week 6 (7/6 to 7/12): Ethan Hajdukovic, IF/OF, Western Michigan/Westhampton

Week 7 (7/13 to 7/19): Louis Antos, IF, Queens/Riverhead

Week 8 (7/20 to 7/23): Jake MacKenzie, IF, Fordham/Shelter Island

Ace Hardware Pitcher of the Week

Week 1 (6/1 to 6/7): Dylan Hughes: RHP, Queens/Shelter Island

Week 2 (6/8 to 6/14): David Wylie: RHP, St. Mary’s (CA)/North Fork

Week 3 (6/15 to 6/21): Jordan Schulefand, RHP, Richmond/Southampton

                                     Chris Stefl, LHP, St. John’s/Riverhead

Week 4 (6/22 to 6/28): Alex Pansini, RHP, Marist/North Fork

Week 5 (6/29 to 7/5): Cam Fowler, LHP, Nebraska Omaha/North Fork

                                   Carson Seymour, RHP, Dartmouth/Southampton

Week 6 (7/6 to 7/12): Tyler Thorington, RHP, Western Michigan/Westhampton

Week 7 (7/13 to 7/19): Nick Cantone, RHP, Marist/Westhampton

                                     Dominic Savino, RHP, Albany/Long Island

Week 8 (7/20 to 7/3): Tyler Thorington, RHP, Western Michigan/Westhampton