Baseball | 3/27/2023 12:54:42 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 27, 2023, for games played from March 20-March 26. It is the 29th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zach Parr, Houghton, Sr., IF, Olean, NY/Olean
Parr exploded to open E8 conference play helping Houghton to two wins over Elmira Friday. He went 6-for-8 with a home run, four doubles, six RBI, and two runs scored. He went 3-for-3 with three doubles in game one and 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI in game two. Parr's slugging percentage in the double header was 1.625, while he currently has an OPS of 1.450 for the season. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of 2023.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – John Son, Utica, Sr., U, Melville, NY/Half Hollow Hills
Son had a dominant week at the plate in a 4-1 week for Utica, finishing 9-for-21 at the dish with three doubles, two triples and a home run while driving in 15 runs and scoring seven times. Over his 21 trips to the plate, Son also drew three walks, while recording a .500 on-base percentage and .905 slugging percentage. Son had a six-RBI performance in game one against SUNY Canton on Wednesday that included a three-run homer to left field. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in game one against Sage on Sunday with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Patrick McGuire, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenedehowa
McGuire earned the win in game two against Medaille University on Friday, an 11-2 victory for the Cardinals. McGuire pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, while striking out three in the 59-pitch effort.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Brendan Espinal, Russell Sage, So., OF, Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa
Espinal hit .440 (11-for-25) with a .520 on-base percentage across five games last week. He had seven runs scored, four RBI and 13 total bases in the 3-2 week. He went 5-for-10 with five runs scored and two RBI to help Russell Sage split Sunday's doubleheader with Empire 8 foe Utica. Espinal was 3-for-6 with three runs scored in the nightcap.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ashley Lugo, Alfred, Gr., SS, Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills
Lugo helped the Saxons to a 2-1 week, going 6-for-8 at the plate (.750 batting average). She had four of the Saxons’ nine stolen bases in a single game with Alfred State College on Sunday, which set an Alfred University single-game record. She also went 3-for-3 with one walk in Sunday’s matchup, driving in two runs and crossing home plate twice herself. Lugo added three hits in a double-header split at King’s College on Wednesday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Maryann Sobel, Elmira, So., P/DP, Hastings, NY/Bishop Ludden
Sobel went 3-0 on the mound in four appearances over 20.2 innings pitched, with wins coming against Penn College, Alfred State, and RIT. Against the Wildcats, Sobel helped Elmira earn its first win of the season after going the distance, allowing one run on six hits while striking out four. Against Alfred State, she went five innings, allowing one run on two hits. Sobel fired a complete-game six-hitter in Friday’s win over RIT with six strikeouts. For the week, Sobel allowed just four walks compared to 13 strikeouts while recording a 1.69 earned run average and 1.02 WHIP.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jacob Gallina, St. John Fisher, Sr., M, Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon
Gallina tallied eight goals, five assists and 13 points in a pair of games against top-10 opponents. On Wednesday, Gallina recorded four goals and two assist against No. 3 RIT. He followed that up with seven points on four goals and three assists at No. 8 Amherst on Saturday.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Devon Gerhardt, Keuka, So., A, Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy,
Gerhardt had another strong offensive week as the Wolves won a pair of games. In total, Gerhardt tallied 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. He opened the week by tying his career-high with nine points in scoring three goals and adding six assists against Wells. On Saturday, Gerhardt had three goals and four assists as the Wolves defeated Keystone College. Overall, he leads the Empire 8 and ranks third in the nation with 4.0 assists per game. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Andrew Collora, Russell Sage, Fr., G, West Babylon, NY/West Babylon
Collora recorded a season-high 16 saves in Wednesday’s 14-6 victory over Castleton. The home win marked the fifth time this season that the rookie registered double-digit saves. He registered an impressive .727 save percentage in the victory.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katelynn Deveans, Medaille, So., M, Clinton, NY/Clinton
Deveans finished the week with 11 goals, two assists, 13 points, 17 shots on goal, six ground balls, nine draw controls, helping lead Medaille to two more wins. She scored five goals, including the game-winner in overtime Wednesday against Fredonia and added six goals and two assists, as Medaille opened E8 league play with a win over Russell Sage. It is Deveans’ third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Lilly Goodsell, St. John Fisher, Sr., G, Camillus, NY/West Genesee
Goodsell made nine saves and allowed just three goals in St. John Fisher’s 5-3 win over No. 15 Cortland on Wednesday. Goodsell improved to 5-1 on the year and earned her third straight E8 weekly accolade.
MEN’S TENNIS
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jaimie Staerkle, Houghton, So., Kelowna, British Columbia/Immaculata
Staerkle led his Highlanders to a dominant opening Empire 8 weekend where Houghton won 17 of their 18 matches. Staerkle had an undefeated week in first doubles beating Nazareth 8-3, Utica 8-1, while collecting an 8-5 non-conference victory over RIT. His success carried over into singles play where he did not lose a set versus Utica in second singles (6-0, 6-0) and then defeated Nazareth in first singles 6-2, 6-3.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Nolan Flynn, Utica, Fr., Sprints, Bethel, CT/Bethel
Flynn finished third in the men's 100-meter dash with a time of 11.20 seconds. He was also sixth in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 22.76, and part of the 4x400-meter relay along with Ethan Kain, Jonathan Simmons and Cole DeKing, placing second with a time of 3:32.65 at Wesleyan University’s Swanson Invitational on Sunday.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Justin Swavely, Utica, Jr., Throws, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Swavely took first with a huge toss of 58.76 meters in the javelin throw at Wesleyan University’s Swanson Invitational on Sunday. That throw puts him at second all-time in program history, and eighth on the Division III national list to date this season.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ashley O’Toole, Alfred, Gr., Distance, Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley
O’Toole soared past her collegiate personal best time by over 20 seconds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday at the Jim Taylor Invitational. At the Jim Taylor Invite, hosted by Susquehanna University, O’Toole finished with a time of 13:11.37 as she finished fifth in the event. She also teamed with Nyah Solly, Sarah Lutkins and McKenzie Hall in the 4x400-meter relay to finish seventh with a time of 4:32.24.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jane Fahy, Utica, Sr., Throws, Oriskany, NY/Oriskany
Fahy opened the outdoor season with authority, winning the women’s shot put at Wesleyan University’s Swanson Invitational on Sunday with a toss of 12.65 meters, which is currently third best in Division III to date this season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Wickens, Nazareth, Jr., S/RS, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Wickens led Nazareth past Cal-Lutheran Monday to complete a 4-0 trip to California for the nationally-ranked Golden Flyers. He led the Golden Flyers with 24 kills and added 11 digs and two aces as Nazareth posted the four-set win over the Kingsmen. It is Wickens’ fifth E8 weekly honor of 2023.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Gabe La Robardiere, St. John Fisher, Fr., OPP, North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
La Robardiere tallied six kills and four blocks in Saturday’s five-set thriller against No. 11 SUNY New Paltz. It is his fifth E8 weekly honor of the 2023 season.
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.
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