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| Lawton (Fla. SW athletics) |
Former Holy Cross star pitcher Sarah Lawton was used to starting, and finishing, games during her fantastic career in Waterbury.
Last Saturday, Lawton was called upon to finish off Florida SouthWestern State College’s biggest game to date. Lawton more often than not finished what she started for the Crusaders, and she did the same for the top-seeded Buccaneers in the FCSAA/Region 8 State Tournament championship game against No. 2 Chipola.
Lawton struck out two and walked one over 2 1/3 innings for the save in a 2-1 Florida SouthWestern victory. She got the final out in fitting fashion, on a strikeout, and the Bucs celebrated their second straight state championship. The win clinched a third straight berth in the NJCAA National Tournament, to be hold May 16-19 in St. George, Utah.
Lawton came on with two on and two outs in the top of the fifth inning of last Saturday’s game. Florida SouthWestern led 2-1, and Lawton kept it that way with a grounder to shortstop.
In the sixth, Lawton got three straight flyouts after a leadoff walk. Lawton closed the game in the seventh with a foul pop and a pair of strikeouts.
Florida SouthWestern is 51-3 entering the national tournament. The Bucs have won a ridiculous 43 of their last 44 games and 13 straight.
To date, Lawton has appeared in 22 games and posted a 7-1 record with one save, four complete games and a 0.90 ERA. She has 89 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.
Matt Warren, Albertus Magnus College baseball
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| Warren (Albertus Magnus athletics) |
The former Wolcott standout was recognized by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference for his efforts on offense and defense on Tuesday.
Warren, a sophomore, was named to the All-GNAC First Team, and he won a Gold Glove for his stellar performance at third base. On offense, Warren led the GNAC in triples (6), home runs (6), sacrifice flies (5) and slugging percentage (.719). He tied for the team lead in hits at 32 with junior Tyriq Harris — more on him later on — and he hit .360. Warren drove in 40 runs and scored 19. He ranked in the Top 20 in the NCAA with his six triples.
On defense, Warren handled 86 total chances and made just three errors for a .965 fielding percentage. He had 28 putouts, 55 assists and helped turn a pair of double plays.
Warren was named team MVP at Albertus’ year-end sports banquet.
Warren was named team MVP at Albertus’ year-end sports banquet.
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| Harris (Albertus Magnus athletics) |
Tyriq Harris, Albertus Magnus College baseball
The former Wilby star was named Second Team All-GNAC for his performance at the top of the Falcon lineup.
Harris had a team-leading 14 stolen bases, and he tied with Warren for the top spot in hits with 32. Harris had a strong .372 batting average, scored 24 runs and drove in a career-high 14 more. He compiled a .465 on-base percentage for Albertus.
In the field, Harris made a single error in 49 total chances. He had 46 putouts and two assists.
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| Vallee (Bay Path athletics) |
Lauren Vallee, Bay Path University softball
Vallee was a clutch player at Bristol Central, and she continued that effort with the Wildcats when it counted most as a senior.
Bay Path, the No. 3 seed, had to battle out of the loser’s bracket of the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament, but they reached the championship round. The Wildcats swept second-seeded Becker College by scores of 2-1 (8 innings) and 3-2 on Tuesday at Regis College in Weston, Mass., to claim the title and a friste-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Vallee was named to the All-Tournament team, and she turned in a big effort on the final day. She was 3-for-6 with a double and two runs scored in the two games.
Vallee has been a tremendous student-athlete, earning Academic All-America honors while at Bay Path. On the field, Vallee gets a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament in her final season. The fourth-seeded Wildcats play top-seeded Ithaca College on May 11 in the Ithaca Region of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Vallee has had a a tremendous season to date and leads Bay Path in average (.504), hits (71), home runs (5), triples (7), doubles (18), runs scored (50), RBI (38), stolen bases (14), on-base percentage (.547) and slugging percentage (.837).
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Jake Kawiecki, Western New England University baseball
The Burlington native and former St. Paul standout earned Third Team All-Commonwealth Coast Conference in his final season with the Golden Bears.
All the right-hander did was go 5-0 with a 4.17 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 41 innings in the regular season. WNEU will play for the CCC Tournament title in a series on May 11 and 12, and Kawiecki has a chance to be right in the middle of it.
Kawiecki got a chance to pitch earlier in the CCC Tournament, and he turned in a great effort in a 10-2 win over Gordon College. He pitched eight innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out eight and walked three.
To date, Kawiecki is 6-0 in 10 appearances (9 starts) with a 3.86 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 49 innings.
Statistics and information compiled from the team website of each athlete.
