General | 3/25/2024 12:27:33 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 25, 2024, for games played from March 18 – March 24, 2024. It is the 29th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carlos Fantauzzi, Keuka, Jr., OF, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua
Fantauzzi hit .350 with a home run, triple, double, nine RBI and three runs scored as Keuka completed its Spring trip in Florida. On Friday, he homered and drove in three runs against Wisconsin Eau-Claire and went 4-for-7 with four RBI in a doubleheader against SUNY Poly to begin the week on Monday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Anthony Laurinitis, Keuka, Jr., P, Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge
Laurinitis earned Keuka’s first win of the 2024 season in a complete-game effort against Bard on Tuesday. He allowed eight hits and struck out six batters in the 17-5 win, as he threw 112 pitches.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Alex Evans, Keuka, Fr., INF, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Evans batted .333 (3-for-9) with two runs scored and two RBI for Keuka in three games in Florida. He had three hits and a pair of RBI in a doubleheader against SUNY Poly on Monday.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hailey Jasinski, Keuka, Fr., SS, Buffalo, NY/North Collins
Jasinski hit .500 (11-for-22) with four doubles, a triple, eight runs scored, and six RBI as the Wolves completed their spring trip in Florida. She had a hit in all seven games last week, including a 3-for-4 performance with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI against Knox College. Jasinski recorded a 1.315 OPS during the week.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Olivia Flynn, Keuka, So., P/U, Williamson, NY/Williamson
Flynn earned her first win of the season in Florida, scattering six hits and a pair of earned runs over six innings with two strikeouts in a win over Knox College. Overall, she allowed five earned runs over 15.1 innings over three appearances last week.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Benjamin Fox, St. John Fisher, So., Saugerties, NY/Saugerties
Fox was St. John Fisher’s top finisher, carding an eight-over par round of 80 at the McDaniel Spring Invitational on Sunday. He helped lead the Cardinals to a 12th place finish out of 18 teams.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Matthew Kemmis, St. John Fisher, Sr., A, Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt
Kemmis had four goals and an assist in a 17-11 loss at No. 2 RIT on Wednesday. He scored a goal in each quarter, as the Cardinals would get as close as 9-6 early in the third quarter. It is Kemmis’ third E8 weekly accolade of 2024.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Quinn McKercher, Nazareth, Sr., A, Lake Mary, FL/Lake Mary
McKercher led Nazareth with six goals in a 14-11 win over Western New England in North Carolina over Spring Break. He scored the first two goals of the game, back-to-back goal in the third quarter and his final goal proved to be the game-winning goal with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. He currently leads the Empire 8 in goals (25) and points (34).
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – McLean Ralston, Nazareth, So., G, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Ralston made 15 saves and helped Nazareth come from behind for a 14-11 win over Western New England last week. He made eight saves in the second half when Nazareth erased a 6-3 deficit and outscored the Bears 11-5 for the victory. He is currently second in goals against average, first in saves and first in save percentage in the Empire 8. It is his third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kristen Vaccarelli, Hartwick, Jr., M, Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills East
Vaccarelli played a prominent role in the Hawks going 2-0 in their Spring Fling Tournament in Panama City Beach, Florida, recording 15 points on 13 goals and a pair of assists. Vaccarelli scored six goals on nine shots against Worcester State in a 14-13 victory including tying the game with three minutes left on Tuesday. She was 3-3 on free-position shots and added two ground balls, two caused turnovers and three draw controls. Vaccarelli tied her career-high with seven goals on just nine shots in the 16-4 win versus Western New England on Thursday, adding two assists, four ground balls, three draw controls and one caused turnover.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Makayla Purdy, Utica, Fr., G, Shirley, NY/William Floyd
Purdy made 13 saves against SUNY Oneonta en route to a 13-5 victory on Thursday. She made eight saves in the first half, holding Oneonta to two goals while also grabbing two ground balls. It is Purdy’s third E8 weekly honor of the 2024 season.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Breece Erickson, Alfred, Fr., Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian
Erickson was undefeated for the Saxons in an 8-1 win over Lycoming College on Thursday. He first teamed with Walker Waldon for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles. Erickson finished the day with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Casey Jackson, St. John Fisher, So., OH, Spencerport, NY/Spencerport
Jackson led the Cardinals with eight kills and four aces in their three-set league win over Elmira on Friday night from Manning-Napier Varsity Gymnasium. He has helped the Cardinals, who are ranked No. 6 nationally, to a 23-3 record in 2024.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Dylan Fox, Russell Sage, Fr., OH, Albany, NY/Colonie Central
Fox recorded 37 points, including 31 kills, six blocks and a pair of service aces in three matches for the Gators. He had 13 kills and nine digs against Elms, eight kills against No. 7 Springfield and added 10 kills against Hunter College It is Fox’s second E8 weekly accolade of 2024.
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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