The Observer-Dispatch and Times Telegram have a fresh slate of nominees for online readers to consider for Mohawk Valley Athlete of the Week voting for the week of April 13-19, the third full week of interscholastic spring athletic competition.
New Hartford softball player Lexi Mungari and Rome Free Academy baseball player Donte Sparace have won the voting for the first two weeks of the spring.
The new ballot includes 11 athletes from area baseball, softball and lacrosse teams, and the poll will be open until Friday, May 8, at noon.
A weekly list of nominees is compiled by the sports department with information provided to the Times Telegram and the Observer-Dispatch by coaches and athletic directors through emails and other contacts.
If a top performer’s name doesn’t appear on the list, encourage their coach or athletic director to email submissions to sports@timestelegram.com or sports@uticaod.com.
Voting closes Friday and a winner is scheduled to be announced later that day on the TimesTelegram.com and UticaOD.com websites.
The nominees for the period ending April 19 are:
ELLIE FREETH, Hamilton softball: Junior struck out 42 batters in 20 innings and shut out Waterville and West Canada Valley in a 4-0 start for the Emerald Knights. She also had a home run, a triple and seven RBIs in the four victories for 2025 Class D state champions.
AMELIA FURBECK, Rome Free Academy lacrosse: Senior scored six goals and assisted on two against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the Black Knights’ first win of the season.
GEORGE GARRETT JR, Proctor baseball: Junior helped the Raiders start Section III and Tri-Valley League play with three wins by going 6-for-9 with three walks, three doubles, eight RBIs, six runs, and one game with a home run and two triples against Central Valley Academy.
BELLA GOODHINES, Frankfort-Schuyler softball: Junior pitched three shutouts and allowed a single run as the Maroon Knights won their first four games of the season. She struck out 42 batters in 26 innings, including 13 of the 15 batters she faced in a five-inning perfect game against Dolgeville.
DAN HELFERT, Whitesboro baseball: Junior pitched a three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts at East Syracuse-Minoa.
LARISSA HOLDRIDGE, Canastota softball: Junior had two home runs among her 11 hits in 19 at-bats during a 5-0 opening week for the Raiders. She homered and drove in six runs against Sherburne-Earlville, homered and drove in four in the next game against Dolgeville, and won her division’s most valuable player award at NYSSCOGS’ Fight Cancer Tournament at Mudville.
RHYS KENNEDY, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill lacrosse: Senior contributed eight goals in three victories that ran the Red Devils’ record to 4-0 to start the season. Kennedy had three goals and three assists against Holland Patent to start the week, and four and six at Oswego at the end it.
DEAN KOENIG, Oriskany baseball: Junior pitched a no-hitter and struck out 13 batters in a 1-0 win over Cooperstown that started a 3-0 week for the Skyhawks; Koenig had pitched the seventh inning and combined with his brother Chase to no-hit Cooperstown last spring.
CALEB NEUENSCHWANDER, Hamilton baseball: Junior pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out 13 batters as the Emerald Knights won their home opener to start a 3-1 week. He pitched another complete game and allowed one earned run against Waterville later in the week, and he had a pair of two-hit games and scored five runs.
NATALIA VIOLA, New Hartford lacrosse: Senior scored 15 goals and assisted on four as the Spartans won two of three games during the week. She matched her career high with six goals in a win at Clinton, and followed that with her third five-goal game of the season against Southern Hills.
EDDIE WRIGHT, Oriskany baseball: Senior had two two-hit games and scored five runs in a three-win week for the Skyhawks, and closed the week with 12 strikeouts in two-hit shutout against West Canada Valley.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Vote for Mohawk Valley Athlete of the Week for April 13-19
Reporting by Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram / Times Telegram
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