Baseball 4/29/2024 2:41:00 PM United East Athletes of the Week - April 29, 2024 LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East conference has announced its Athletes of the Week for April 29, 2024. This includes Athletes of the Week for both the Skye and Volt Divisions in Baseball and Softball as well as Men’s Lacrosse. This week’s selections included contests from Monday, April 22 through Sunday, April 28. A total of 10 student-athletes were recognized for their performances. Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week AJ Dotson / So / Penn College / Wilmington, De. / Salesianum HS Dotson scored four goals and added seven assists in a 1-1 week for the Wildcats. He added four ground balls and three caused turnovers against Keystone on Saturday. The Wildcats' midfielder scored two goals on five shots in a tightly contested 11-8 loss to Lycoming on Wednesday and followed that game with two goals and a season-high seven assists in a 23-9 victory against Keystone to lock up the two-seed in the playoffs. This is the second Player of the Week award for Dotson who previously won for the week April 1, 2024. Defensive Player of the Week Connor Walmsley / So / Bryn Athyn College / Glenolden, Pa. / Archbishop Carroll HS Walmsley picked up 11 ground balls and caused 2 turnovers in an 18-9 win over Rosemont on Saturday afternoon. His 11-ground ball performance was the third best in the United East this season. This is the first Player of the Week award for Walmsley. Softball Player of the Week - Skye Division Haiden Brookens / Sr / Wilson College / Fayetteville, Pa. / Chambersburg Magnet Brookens blasted the ball at a rate of .500 as she went 10-for-20 in six division contests to help the Phoenix secure the top seed in this week's tournament. Three of those hits went for extra bases with a triple and two doubles. The run production was also increased as she drove in eight runs and scored four times herself. Brookens is currently 11th in the United East, hitting at a .458 clip in league play and is currently fifth with a .576 On-Base Percentage. This is the first Player of the Week award for Brookens. Pitcher of the Week - Skye Division Maddison Atkins / So / Clarks Summit University / Madisonville, Tn. / Sequoyah HS Maddison Atkins threw a perfect game on Thursday afternoon as Clarks Summit defeated Valley Forge 3-0 in Game 2 of their doubleheader. Atkins only needed 83 pitches to go the full 7 Innings Pitched, striking out 15 batters, and allowing no runners to reach base. On Saturday, Atkins took to the circle again and provided 8 Innings Pitched, scattering 6 hits and only giving up 1 run with 11 strikeouts as Clarks Summit clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 3-1 win over Cairn. This is the first Player of the Weekfor Atkins who was named CSAC Rookie of the Year in 2023. Player of the Week - Volt Division Madison Shaffer / Sr / Penn College / Trout Run, Pa. / Montoursville Area HS Shaffer went a combined 14-for-20 (.700) at the plate in two series against Lancaster Bible and one series against Gallaudet. She hit four doubles and two triples to score 10 RBIs and crossed the plate six times. In the first game against the Chargers on Monday, Shaffer went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and hit a walk-off two-run double to earn her 100th career hit in an 8-0 final and followed it to go 2-for-2 with a run scored in game two. Against the Bison on Wednesday, Shaffer went a combined 2-for-7 with an RBI and two runs scored. On Saturday in the second series against the Chargers, Shaffer went 4-for-4 with a double, two triples, three RBIs and two runs scored in an 18-4 game one win. In the regular season finale, Shaffer hit 3-for-4 with two doubles to drive in two runs and scored once. This is the first Player of the Week award for Shaffer. Pitcher of the Week - Volt Division Mackenzie Sawdey / So / Penn State Harrisburg / Halifax, Pa. / Halifax HS Mackenzie Sawdey picked up three wins in the circle this week as Penn State Harrisburg secured the top seed in the upcoming Volt Division playoffs. On Wednesday, Sawdey went 6 innings, striking out 8 batters and giving up 3 hits as the Lions defeated Berks. On Sunday afternoon, Sawdey went a combined 9.0 innings over two appearances while only giving up 3 hits as Harrisburg swept Abington to clinch the top seed in the upcoming playoffs. Sawdey was the United East Rookie of the Year in 2023 and earned a First Team All-Conference honor. This is the third Player of the Week nod for Sawdey, who previously won for the weeks of March 4, 2024, and April 10, 2023. Baseball Player of the Week - Skye Division Carlos Terc / Jr / University of Valley Forge / Dumont, N.J. / Dumont HS Terc hit .529 (9-for-17) on the week as UVF went 5-0 to break the school record for consecutive wins and the school record for conference wins in a season. Terc led the way with 11 runs scored, 6 RBI, three doubles, a triple, and eight stolen bases as the Patriots swept a doubleheader with Lehman on Monday and then proceeded to sweep the 3-game series with Saint Elizabeth: the program’s first victory over the Eagles since 2021. This is the first Player of the Week award for Terc, who was an Honorable Mention award winner in 2023. Pitcher of the Week - Skye Division Mikey Gutierrez / FY / Cairn University / Cooper City, Fl. / St. Thomas Aquinas Gutierrez picked up his conference-leading 7th win on the mound, Friday night, against Lancaster Bible College, the most wins in a season in program history (Cam Culver - 6 in 2022) going 7.0 innings and striking out eight while allowing no earned runs. The freshman righty has pitched to a 2.39 ERA with 54 strikeouts, five shy of the program single season record. This is the second Pitcher of the Week award for Gutierrez, who previously won for the week of April 8, 2024. Player of the Week - Volt Division Shane Fillman / Sr / Penn State Abington / Whitehall, Pa. / Whitehall HS In a 2-1 week for the Nittany Lions, Fillman went 8-for-13 at the plate with five runs, 12 RBI and four home runs. He went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the team's win over CCNY. He highlighted the week with a 4-for-5 performance in game one of a non-conference doubleheader at Lancaster Bible where Fillman belted three home runs and drove in a career-high eight RBI. This is the first Player of the Week award for Fillman. Pitcher of the Week - Volt Division Josh Berzonski / So / Penn State Harrisburg / Glenville, Pa. / South Western HS Berzonski pitched five innings against Shenandoah, who is currently regionally ranked and receiving votes nationally, struck out six batters and didn't give up a single run as Harrisburg won the matchup 3-1. This is the third Pitcher of the Week honor for Berzonski, who previously won for the weeks of March 25, 2024, and March 4, 2024. Berzonski was named to the First Team All-Conference last season as well as an All-Region honoree by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). 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