Who is this week's Providence Journal Baseball Player of the Week? Vote now
Hard to believe, but we’re already at the midpoint of the Interscholastic League baseball regular season.
May arrives this week and several programs find themselves already hitting full stride. Bishop Hendricken in Division I and West Warwick in Division III are both setting the pace with unbeaten records. Westerly, Barrington and defending champion East Providence lead a host of fellow contenders in what’s shaping up to be a wild Division II race to the finish.
The Townies boasted our Player of the Week last Friday — Tyler DiCecco, a right-handed pitcher and potential impact bat in the lineup. Who will join him from the following list? Voting ends Thursday night/Friday morning at midnight. (Not quite sure what to call that hour of the day — for anyone in sports media it’s like early evening.)
These players were selected from games featured online or in print by The Journal. We either covered them, took calls on them or received emails summarizing them. And we’d always like to know about more of them.
You can reach us by phone Monday through Friday at (401) 277-7340 or via email at pjsports@providencejournal.com. A reminder: we can’t accept anything from parents or other outside sources. Information must come from coaches or school administrators.
Thanks in advance. And now, on with some of the standouts from last week.
Ryan Barrett, Prout
Barrett spun a gem in a 4-0 shutout against defending Division II champion East Providence. He allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out 10 while leading the Crusaders to a blanking of the Townies.
Griffin Crain, Bishop Hendricken
Crain was sharp in a showdown with fellow Division I unbeaten South Kingstown early in the week. The left-hander came one out shy of a complete game in a 4-1 victory, striking out five and holding the Rebels to a lone run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Ronan Gately, North Kingstown
Gately was the big bat the Skippers needed to put together a strong week. He cracked a grand slam to help down defending Division I champion Cumberland, 8-3, and added three more hits in a 12-3 cruise past Moses Brown. Gately doubled, tripled and drove in a pair of runs against the Quakers.
Travis Howman, Scituate
Howman was a factor on the mound and at the plate as the Spartans took care of perennial Divisiion III contender North Smithfield, 3-2. He struck out 12 while earning the victory and chipped in a pair of hits to help his own cause.
Ben Jahnz, Cumberland
Jahnz pitched like an ace in a Division I finals rematch, working six strong innings in a 6-2 victory over La Salle. The right-hander scattered five hits and struck out 10 while buying his offense enough time to erase an early 2-1 deficit.
Anders Nelson, East Greenwich
Nelson looks like an emerging star for the Avengers. He was the winning pitcher in a Division II finals rematch with defending champion East Providence, helping himself at the plate with two hits and two RBI in a 6-4 triumph.
Josh Pedus, West Warwick
The Wizards are the lone remaining unbeaten in Division III, and Pedus is a major reason why. He piled up two hits, four runs scored and an RBI in an 11-1 win over Rogers early in the week and helps fuel a potent lineup.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Vote in the Providence Journal Baseball Player of the Week poll
