Thomas Belcher (Indiana) on the mound against Amsterdam on 8/3
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League is pleased to announce its 2013 Rising Stars Team.
The 30-player “all-star” squad, compiled by the league office, is limited to players that were listed as collegiate freshmen, redshirt freshman and high school seniors in 2013. Only redshirt freshmen no more than two years removed from their high school graduation were considered.
Divisional finals participants Albany, Amsterdam, Watertown and Elmira combined to account for 22 of the 30 selections. The Albany Dutchmen, winners of a franchise record 26 games, topped all 10 league teams with eight players named to the Rising Stars Team. Albany’s selections included infielders Zach Remillard (Coastal Carolina), Tyler Orris (Millersville) and Matthew Dacey (Richmond 2013-14), designated hitter Joe Purritano (Dartmouth), outfielder Anthony Marks (Coastal Carolina) and pitchers Dylan Collett (Keene State), James Davitt (Bryant) and Thomas Belcher (Indiana).
Zach Remillard (Coastal Carolina) became the first player in league history to earn two-straight selections to the Rising Stars Team. Remillard, a two-time All-Star Game participant, was named to the Rising Stars Team last summer after leading the Dutchmen in nine different offensive categories as a Coastal Carolina pre-frosh. This year, the Cohoes, N.Y., native batted .296 with 48 hits, 24 runs scored, 16 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 44 regular season starts. Zach has amassed 100 hits in two summers with the Dutchmen.
Tyler Orris (Millersville) was one of the top all-around shortstops in the league. Orris paced all PGCBL shortstops in batting average (.315) and fielding percentage (.958). The New Cumberland, Pa., native banged out 46 hits in 47 games and he committed eight errors in 191 defensive chances. Tyler recorded 117 assists and took part in 14 double plays.
Matthew Dacey (Richmond 2013-14) won the PGCBL’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby. The slugging first baseman bashed eight total home runs over the course of the summer, six in the regular season and two in playoff games at Mohawk Valley and Amsterdam. Dacey, who redshirted in the spring at Michigan, appeared in all 48 of Albany’s regular season games. He drove in 31 runs, scored 27 runs, walked 23 times and totaled 17 extra-base hits in 41 total. Defensively, the Wyckoff, N.J., native accrued a .985 fielding percentage in 327 chances.
Joe Purritano (Dartmouth), the 2013 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, was one of three Albany players to hit at least .300. Purritano batted .301 over 28 contests for the Dutchmen and he averaged nearly a hit per game with 25 hits.
Anthony Marks (Coastal Carolina) was one of Albany’s top offensive weapons. The speedy center fielder led the Dutchmen in batting average (.342), hits (55), runs scored (31) and stolen bases (18). Marks tied for the team lead in sacrifice hits (seven) and he finished second in on-base percentage (.387). The Mountoursville, Pa., native started 40 games for the Dutchmen. The All-Star Game starter was a strong defensive center fielder, he recorded four outfield assists.
Dylan Collett (Keene State) completed the regular season as the PGCBL’s leader among qualifying pitchers with a 1.71 earned run average. Collett, who both started and relieved for the Dutchmen, appeared in 15 games overall. He went 3-1 with two saves and one complete game. The Albany, N.Y., native struck out 47 and walked 14 in 52.2 innings pitched. Opponents against Collett managed a meager .207 batting average. He threw Albany’s first and only complete game shutout of the season against Utica on July 25.
Like teammate Dylan Collett, James Davitt (Bryant) pitched both as a starter and reliever for the Dutch. Davitt was a winner of the PGCBL Pitcher of the Week Award during the regular season after tossing a two-hitter over seven innings against the Glens Falls Golden Eagles. Davitt compiled a 2-1 record and a 2.36 earned run average over nine appearances. He struck out 40 batters in 45.2 innings and accrued a .234 opponents’ batting average. Most interestingly, Davitt pitched in the two longest games in PGCBL history against the Glens Falls Golden Eagles. The Wallingford, Conn., native started for Albany at Glens Falls on June 29 and allowed one run on two hits over seven innings in a contest that was eventually won by the Golden Eagles in 16 innings. On the final night of the regular season, the rising sophomore from Bryant came out of the Albany bullpen in the 11th inning against Glens Falls and he pitched six scoreless frames as the Dutchmen went on to defeat the Golden Eagles, 6-5, in 16 innings to capture the final playoff spot in the league.
Side-winding reliever Thomas Belcher (Indiana) was one of the most utilized pitchers in the PGCBL this summer. Belcher, who sat out with a redshirt at IU during the spring, appeared in 20 games for the Dutchmen during the regular season; he finished second in the league in games pitched. Belcher went 4-1 with four saves and a 2.03 earned run average and a .900 WHIP. The Jacksonville, Fla., native struck out 19 and walked seven in 26.2 innings pitched. Belcher carved out a 0.00 ERA in two playoff appearances against Mohawk Valley and Amsterdam. He pitched two scoreless innings in a 6-5 win at Mohawk Valley and then blanked Amsterdam for three frames to earn the victory in Game 2 of the divisional finals.
The complete 2013 PGCBL Rising Stars Team can be found HERE.
