NEIBA Player of the Year Tad Gold Leads Four All-New England Honorees
BABSON PARK, Mass. – The New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) released their annual NCAA Division III All-New England Team and four representatives from the Endicott baseball team have been honored including senior centerfielder Tad Gold (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.) who was named NEIBA New England Player of the Year. Senior catcher and designated hitter EJ Martinez (Mass.), junior second baseman Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.), and sophomore pitcher JJ Branch (Milford, Mass.) were also recognized with All-New England awards.
2014 NEIBA All-New England Team
BABSON PARK, Mass. – The New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) released their annual NCAA Division III All-New England Team and four representatives from the Endicott baseball team have been honored including senior centerfielder Tad Gold (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) who was named NEIBA New England Player of the Year. Senior catcher and designated hitter EJ Martinez (Mass.), junior second baseman Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.), and sophomore pitcher JJ Branch (Milford, Mass.) were also recognized with All-New England awards.
Endicott along with Southern Maine, UMass Dartmouth, and Roger Williams all had two players on the NEIBA All-New England First Team while Endicott led all Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) teams with four honorees across the three teams.
Endicott (31-14) is currently competing in the NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament as the #4 seed and defeated #5 MIT 6-4 in their opening game earlier on Wednesday. The Gulls have moved on to face the winner of #1 Eastern Connecticut State and #8 Mitchell which has yet to finish.
Gold, the CCC Player of the Year and an All-CCC First Team winner, leads Endicott's potent offense with a .429 batting average, .495 on-base percentage, and a 638 slugging percentage and has set career-highs in batting average, runs scored (57), runs batted in (41), extra-base hits (25), doubles (16), and triples (9). He ranks nationally in several statistical categories including first in triples, second in runs, ninth in triples per game, 15th in runs per game, 22nd in total bases (103), 31st in batting average, and 31st in stolen bases. Gold is in the midst of a career-year that has pushed above some of Endicott's all-time leaders with 160 runs, 23 triples, and 90 stolen bases while ranking in the top-10 in several other categories including at bats (604), hits (213), total bases (310), batting average (.353), RBI (124), fielding percentage (.995), doubles (36), walks (68), and on-base percentage (.425).
Martinez, a NEIBA First Team All-New England and All-CCC First Team honoree, has battled injury down the stretch to continue his career season in which he owns a .417 batting average with a team-high 42 RBI with 24 runs. Martinez has knocked 15 extra-base hits including three homeruns and 12 doubles while also reaching base with 16 walks and showing savvy base running with 12 stolen bases.
Oringer collected All-NEIBA Second Team accolades to go along with his All-CCC First Team award after posting a .406 batting average with 45 runs scored, 30 RBI, a team-high 17 walks to match Gold, while swiping 10 bases. He has 20 extra-base hits this courtesy of 16 doubles, three triples, and one round-tripper. Oringer has splits of .518 on-base and .562 slugging percentages this season.
Branch, the CCC's Pitcher of the Year and All-CCC First Teamer, was named to the NEIBA Second Team All-New England Team as he has accumulated an 8-1 record in his sophomore season. He owns a 2.18 earned run average with 42 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched. He has five complete games in his 12 starts this season.