General | 5/3/2021 2:16:56 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on May 3, 2021 for games played from April 26-May 2. It is the 14th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2020-21 season.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – David Wessels, Houghton, Gr., OF, Oneonta, NY/Oneonta
Wessells led the Highlanders from the plate during the seven-game week batting (.484) 15-for-31 with three doubles, 10 runs scored, and seven runs batted in. He had at least two hits in all seven games during the week. Wessells also added two walks and five stolen bases while helping Houghton go 5-2 on the week and climb into second in the Empire 8 standings.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Griffin Baur, Utica, Gr., P, New York Mills, NY/New York Mills
Baur improved to 4-1 as the Pioneers defeated national vote-getter St. John Fisher for the first time in five years on Tuesday. The graduate student threw five innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out six batters as the Pioneers picked up an 8-2 win. It is Baur’s second E8 weekly honor of 2021.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – James Ward Jr., St. John Fisher, Fr., OF, Queensbury, NY/Queensbury
Ward, Jr. continued to rake as the Cardinals went 3-1 last week and secured the top overall seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship. Ward batted .500 on the week after going 8-for-16 with four RBI, six runs scored and two walks overall. The Queensbury native had two hits in every game this week and currently owns a five-game hitting streak. It is his second straight E8 weekly honor.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Allison O’Toole, Alfred, Jr., 2B, Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley
O’Toole helped the Saxons pick up six wins last week as she hit an impressive .571 batting average, going 12-for-21 with eight RBI and four runs scored. On the bases, O’Toole stole base four times including a season-high of two against Russell Sage. Her top scoring game was the nightcap against Houghton in which she drove in four runs and scored one run.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jess Patterson, St. John Fisher, So., P, Rensselaer, NY/Columbia
Patterson was unbeaten in the circle for the No. 13 Cardinals last week as Fisher secured the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship after going 5-1 on the week. Patterson was 3-0 overall with a 0.50 ERA as the sophomore allowed one run over 18.0 innings and recorded 23 strikeouts against just eight hits. Against Nazareth on Tuesday, Patterson pitched a complete-game shutout and struck out 12 before downing No. 25 Rochester following a one-run, seven-strikeout performance. Patterson closed out the week with another complete-game shutout as she allowed just one hit at Elmira for her second straight weekly accolade.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justin Mosher, Alfred, Jr., A, Hilton, NY/Hilton
Mosher was two points away from tying the Alfred University school record in single game points with 12 on Saturday, scoring two hat-tricks and adding another six assists, crushing his collegiate career-high in assists and points. All 11 of his shots on Saturday were on goal while he picked up a season-high four ground balls. He added another three ground balls and one assist against Fisher for his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Jacob Mattice, Elmira, Sr., GK, Canton, NY/Hugh C. Williams
Mattice earned the victory in Elmira's 13-6 win over Medaille, making a game-high 13 saves, while scooping up three ground balls. Mattice surpassed 100 saves for the third time in his four seasons, while the win over the Mavericks moved him into a tie for fifth-place all-time in program history with 10 career wins.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney DeGirolamo, St. John Fisher, Jr., M, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
DeGirolamo was named 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after recording 13 points on seven goals and six assists to go along with 18 draw controls in leading the Cardinals to their ninth straight E8 title. She tallied two goals and three assists in Friday’s 22-3 win over Hartwick in the semifinals. On Sunday, DeGirolamo had season-high totals of five goals, eight points and 12 draw controls in Sunday’s championship victory over Nazareth.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Claudia Mocciaro, St. John Fisher, Sr., GK, Syracuse, NY/West Genesee
Mocciaro allowed just four goals in 90 minutes of play, as the Cardinals rolled to their ninth straight Empire 8 Championship over the weekend. She played the first half in Friday’s 22-3 win over Hartwick in the semifinals and made five saves in Sunday’s championship, a 13-3 victory over Nazareth. It is Mocciaro’s third E8 weekly accolade of 2021.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Micah Schilke, Houghton, So., Houghton, NY/Fillmore Central
Schilke went 4-0 in conference competition last week, playing in the third singles and first doubles roles for Houghton. Against Alfred, Schilke won 6-2, 6-2 in singles action and 8-2 at doubles. Against Nazareth, Schilke picked up a big 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 singles win and an 8-5 win at doubles as the Highlanders clinched the regular season conference title.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Nathaniel Zedomi, Houghton, Sr., Lago, Lag, Nigeria/Lifeforte International
Zedomi took second place in the 400-meters in a time of 49.82 seconds at the Brockport Invite on Saturday, which qualifies him for the All-Atlantic Region Championships. It also is the number one time in the Empire 8 this season. Zedomi also finished second in the 200-meters, where he is also among the E8 leaders.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Chase Corcoran, St. John Fisher, Sr., Throws, Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles
Corcoran qualified for an AARTFC appearance in a third throws event at the Brockport Invite. After making the cut for both the discus throw and shot put in early April, Corcoran sealed his ticket to the hammer throw competition at the Atlantic Regional Championship with a career-best throw of 53.77 meters, where he now holds the region's seventh best toss and 22nd best national mark. The senior not only won first place in the day's event with his throw, but he then went on to take second place in the discus throw after heaving 44.67 meters.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Holly Passetti, Alfred, Sr., Middle Distance/Steeplechase, Nichols, NY/Tioga Central
Passetti competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the first time this season on Saturday at the SUNY Geneseo It’s Gonna Be May Meet. She came into the meet with a previous personal best time of 12:55.18 and crushed that time with a 12:23.14 to take second place, topping two Nazareth athletes and one A-State runner. Passetti now has the fastest time in the Empire 8 in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jordan Lehman, St. John Fisher, Sr., Throws, Port Leyden, NY/South Lewis
Lehman grabbed a pair of career best marks and second place finishes in the throwers' pit at the Brockport Invite over the weekend. In the discus throw, the senior tossed for 37.49 meters, breaking her latest mark by over a meter and a half and marking just .06 meters short of the Cardinals' program record in the event. Later, she went on to throw for 47.86 meters in the hammer throw, which is over two meters longer than her previous best career toss. The two marks punched her ticket to the Atlantic Regional Championship for both events, as she now boasts the region's 10th best throw in each of the categories.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram