Baseball | 5/8/2023 12:16:39 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on May 8, 2023, for games played from May 1-May 7. It is the 35th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zach Parr, Houghton, Sr., INF, Olean, NY/Olean
Parr went 4-for-8 with five walks, four runs scored, three RBI, a double, and a triple in a three-game sweep over Medaille to wrap up the regular season with a .500 AVG/.692 OBP/.875 SLG/1.567 OPS line. Parr has hit safely in the last six games and is now fourth in batting average and third in on base percentage in the conference. It is Parr’s third E8 weekly honor of the 2023 season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Patrick McGuire, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenedehowa
McGuire pitched six innings in the game one win over Utica that clinched the E8 Regular Season title for St. John Fisher on Saturday, collecting the win and moving to an overall record of 7-0. McGuire faced 22 batters, striking out four, walking two, and only allowing two hits and one run. It is McGuire’s fourth E8 weekly accolade of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Jake Crantz, St. John Fisher, Fr., DH, Kingston, NY/Kingston
Crantz helped St. John Fisher win all four of its games to end the regular season, batting .385 with five hits in 13 at-bats. He hit one double and a home run, while driving in five runs and stealing one base. He had three hits, including a homer, three RBI and two runs in the doubleheader sweep over Utica Saturday that clinched the E8 regular season title for the Cardinals. It is Crantz’s second E8 weekly accolade of the year.
SOFTBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Dicranian, Russell Sage, Gr., P/UT, Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union
Dicranian excelled at the plate and in the circle for Russell Sage, earning two wins and helping the Gators secure their third straight Empire 8 tournament appearance. She batted .500 and slugged .857 for the week with seven hits, two doubles, a homer and three RBI. She also went 2-0 in the circle, beating Alfred at home. Dicranian had a 0.50 ERA for the week with two complete games, one earned run in 14 innings pitched. She also broke the Russell Sage career doubles record on Saturday with a double in each game at Medaille, giving her 49 in total. It is Dicranian’s second E8 weekly accolade of 2023.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sarah Simmons, Nazareth, Gr., OF, Victor, NY/Victor
Simmons helped the Golden Flyers clinch the No. 4 seed in the tournament with a .583 average (7-for-12) with five runs, two doubles, a home run and eight runs batted in during four crucial league games over the weekend. She also had a stolen base and a sacrifice fly as well as outstanding defense as she took a pair of home runs away from opponents with catches over the centerfield fence. In Sunday’s postseason clinching win over Medaille, Simmons went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Arden Hatch, Alfred, Sr., P, Orangevale, CA/St. Francis
Hatch picked up her 12th win of the season as the Saxons claimed the undisputed regular season champion title on Saturday. She pitched in her fifth shutout win of the season as AU topped Russell Sage, 8-0 in five innings. Hatch only gave up three hits with five strikeouts and one pitch that hit a batter. She picked up the win after only throwing 57 pitches on Saturday. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kylie Murray, Utica, So., P, Eastchester, NY/Eastchester
Murray turned in an incredible performance against Houghton pitching a complete game shutout with a career-high 10 strikeouts. She allowed just six hits in the contest and did not walk a batter in the 5-0 win.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jacob Gallina, St. John Fisher, Sr., M, Macedon, NY/Macedon
Gallina was named the 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring five goals and adding an assist in St. John Fisher’s 19-7 win over Nazareth in the title game Saturday. Gallina scored four consecutive goals during a key 7-0 run over a 16 minute span for the Cardinals that broke the game open. Gallina also added two goals in the Cardinals semifinal win over Hartwick on Wednesday. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Ben Hammond, St. John Fisher, Jr., G, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Hammond stopped 12 shots in net to help the Cardinals win their fourth straight Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship. He began the week by making six saves in a 24-7 win over Hartwick in the semifinals on Wednesday. Hammond added six more saves, including three big stops in the third quarter where St. John Fisher out-scored Nazareth 6-1 to pull away and earn a 19-7 victory on Saturday. It is Hammond’s second E8 weekly accolade of 2023.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Carpenter, St. John Fisher, So., M, Rochester, NY/Hilton
Carpenter was named the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after tallying six points on three goals and three assists to go along with 12 draw controls in St. John Fisher’s 10-5 win over Nazareth in the title game Saturday. She added a goal and an assist to go along with eight draw controls and five ground balls in the E8 semifinal win over Hartwick Wednesday. Carpenter, now a two-time E8 Tournament MVP, has shattered the Empire 8 record for draw controls in a season with 169. It is Carpenter’s fourth E8 weekly accolade of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Allie Klestinec, Nazareth, Fr., G, Geneva, NY/Geneva
Klestinec stopped 18 shots in two Empire 8 Championship Tournament games last week, as the Golden Flyers advanced to the title game. She stopped six shots in the E8 semifinal win over Utica Wednesday and was brilliant with 12 saves in the title game loss to No. 19 St. John Fisher. She stopped 10 of St. John Fisher’s first 15 shots on goal, as the Cardinals led 5-4 late in the third quarter. It is Klestinec’s second E8 weekly accolade of 2023.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Andy Hadasz, Utica, Jr., Sprints, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Hadasz was named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship Track Athlete of the Meet after earning a clean sweep of all three sprint events. He won the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.08 seconds, 200-meter dash in 22.34 seconds and 400-meter dash in 49.83 seconds. Hadasz was also part of the winning 4 x 100-meter relay team that crossed the finish line first in 42.78 seconds and 4 x 400-meter relay team that placed third. It is Hadasz’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Zuriel Wright, Utica, Sr., Jumps, Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial
Wright was named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship Field Athlete of the Meet over the weekend. Wright won the high jump, clearing 1.99 meters, was second in the long jump with a leap of 6.75 meters and placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 13.29 meters. He was also part of the winning 4 x 100-meter relay team that crossed the finish line first in 42.78 seconds.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth, Gr., Sprints/Jumps, Cortland, NY/Homer
Johnson was named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship Track Athlete of the Meet after winning the 100-meter dash with an impressive time of 12.19 seconds. She was also part of the winning 4 x 400-meter relay team that crossed the finish line in 4:07.57. Johnson was also the runner-up in both the 200- and 400-meter dash events and was part of the 4 x 100-meter relay team that placed second. Johnson set personal records in all three sprint events. She also won the high jump, clearing 1.61 meters and was third in the long jump. Johnson led Nazareth to its first outdoor league title in program history.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Laura Meade, Utica, Gr., Jumps/Hurdles, Glenville, NY/Scotia-Glenville
Meade was named the 2023 Empire 8 Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the heptathlon with a score of 3,977 points, while placing third in the triple jump (11.20 meters), fifth in the javelin throw (24.79 meters) and sixth in the long jump (5.34 meters). On the track side, Meade placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles. Meade won the Empire 8’s first heptathlon since 2007 and was the top finisher in the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meters and long jump.
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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