The NESCAC has released its Players of the Week for the week ending on April 5. The conference recognizes student-athletes in each sport each week for their contributions to their teams, based on information provided by the athletic communications offices on each campus. During the spring season, baseball, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, and softball players of the week will be announced on Mondays. On select Tuesdays, track & field performers of the week will be announced.
NESCAC Baseball Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Will Burns – Colby – Jr. – 1B – Reading, Mass.
Burns led Colby at the plate in a sweep of Bates. In the opener, the junior reached base safely in four of his five plate appearances, scoring three runs. In Game 1 on Saturday, Burns went 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in two of Colby's three runs, including a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the 10th. In the series finale, Burns scored twice more and drove in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh to set up Colby's second walk-off of the day, one batter later. Across the three-game set, Burns went 6-for-11, scoring seven runs, with an on-base percentage of .600
NESCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Mark Kovach – Hamilton – So. – Matawan, N.J.
Kovach pitched all nine innings in a 6-2 win against Middlebury on Sunday. Kovach struck out five, walked one, scattered seven hits, and allowed one earned run. It was just the third nine-inning complete game by a Hamilton pitcher since 2013. Kovach's performance gave the Continentals their first series win against the Panthers since 2015.
NESCAC Softball Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Lauryn Horita – Tufts – Sr. – DP – San Mateo, Calif.
Horita had multiple hits in all four games and scored at least one run in each game for Tufts last week. The senior finished with a .625 batting average, going 10-for-16 at the plate with two doubles, seven runs scored, and three RBI in four games. In a sweep at Amherst on Saturday, Horita went 5-for-8 with four runs and an RBI. After Amherst tied Game 1 at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Horita was part of a Jumbo rally in the eighth as she doubled and scored in an 8-5 extra-inning victory. Against Trinity on Sunday, she was 5-for-8 in the two games with three runs and two RBI. In Game 2, when Tufts broke it open with three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth, Horita had a single and a double, respectively, and scored in both frames.
NESCAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Sophia Meade – Colby – So. – Guilford, Conn.
Meade made four appearances in the circle last week, collecting three wins and a save. The sophomore totaled 14.0 innings, allowing one earned run while striking out 15. Meade allowed one hit or less in three appearances, including Colby's 3-2 extra-inning win over No. 20 Husson.
NESCAC Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Carson Kraus – Hamilton – So. –M – Garden City, N.Y.
Kraus posted 10 points, six ground balls, and a caused turnover in two NESCAC road wins for the Continentals. Kraus scored two goals and added an assist in a 10-9 victory at Williams. The sophomore's goal with 20.6 seconds left completed a comeback from a 9-4 deficit early in the fourth quarter. Kraus tied a career high with seven goals in an 18-13 triumph at Trinity and gave Hamilton the lead for good at 11-10 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter. The Continentals won in Hartford for the first time since 2014.
NESCAC Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Week | Weekly Release
Addie Cummings – Wesleyan – Sr. – A – Westfield, N.J.
Cummings led the Cardinal offense with a 13-point week versus three ranked opponents, scoring nine goals and dishing out four assists to go with seven ground balls and two caused turnovers. Cummings started the week with a three-goal game in an 11-6 win over No. 19 Trinity, adding two caused turnovers to her totals. On Saturday, Cummings recorded a seven-point game, scoring five goals and adding two assists as she either scored or assisted on seven of Wesleyan's 10 goals, including the final two goals in the fourth quarter to force overtime, in an 11-10 loss to No. 2 Tufts. Cummings completed her week with a three-point game in a 10-6 win over No. 7 William Smith, scoring once and adding two assists while recording a career-high four ground balls.
