Assistant Sports Editor
Assistant Sports Editor Dylan Tully picks his mid-season Springfield College Baseball Award Winners.
Most Outstanding Rookie- Steve Starr
Starr came into the spring, claimed the centerfield job, and never looked back. He has impressed on defense in center field and has provided a steady bat from the left side out of the leadoff spot. His speed is unmatched and he looks to have a bright future as a possible four-year starter for the Pride. He is sporting a batting average of .356 and is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts.
Defensive Player of the First Half- Mike McGowan
McGowan is a two-year varsity starter and has played a flawless first base thus far for the Pride. He has yet to commit and error in the field and has 15 assists on top of that. Good-fielding first basemen can save other infielders a lot of errors ,and McGowan’s long reach and athletic ability make him the Pride’s defensive player of the first half. McGowan looks to build on a solid first half and keep up the great defense for the Pride as they come down the home stretch. He adds a .338 average and 11 RBI’s to give the Pride a good all-around option at first.
Relief Pitcher of the First Half- Craig Zysk
Everything Zysk has touched has turned to gold for the Pride in the first half. The side-winding, right-handed reliever has a 4-0 record and one save to go along with a team-best 2.55 ERA. He has appeared in nine games for Springfield, all out of the bullpen, and has six strikeouts in 14 innings of work. He has become a dependable asset for head coach Mark Simeone to call on, and is a senior that the Pride can trust as the season goes on.
Offensive Player of the First Half- Karl Quist
The senior infielder and designated hitter has provided the Pride with steady production at the plate. He is hitting a team-best .391 with 15 runs and 16 RBI. He has a team-leading 36 hits, including eight doubles and two triples. He has only struck out nine times in the 98 plate appearances, so he always puts pressure on the other team’s defense. He is a presence in the batter’s box that will be missed next year, but one that is doing everything in his power to help the Pride win games while he is here.
Most Outstanding Game of the First Half- Kyle DiFranco
DiFranco got a spot start by Simeone in the second game of a doubleheader against Clark University. DiFranco did not disappoint as he went 4-for-5 with a run and five RBI to lead the Pride to a 12-5 victory. There have been many stellar performances by Springfield players this year, but this game stuck out as the one that was most impressive, especially taking into account that DiFranco was making a spot start.
Start of the First Half (Pitcher)- Alex Williams
In the second game of a doubleheader against MIT, Williams took the ball for the Pride and dazzled for seven innings. He gave up no runs, struck out four, surrendered four hits and walked one. Unfortunately, the Pride didn’t give much run support, so Williams couldn’t acquire the win. The Pride ultimately took the game, however, 2-1.
Dylan Tully may be reached at dtully@springfieldcollege.edu