The baseball rankings may be temporarily ending this week as high school baseball playoffs launch, but the lohud Baseball Player of the Week Poll, presented by White Plains Hospital, continues uninterrupted.
Last week, coaches nominated eight players. Blind Brook’s Alejandro Pena, who went 5-for-8, walked three times, homered, scored four times and drove in nine runs over three wins, won the award. He joined past winners Zach Davidson of Harrison, Sean Concannon of Iona Prep, Drew Wooster of Pearl River and JP Donahoe of Mamaroneck.
This week coaches have nominated five athletes for their May 4-May 10 play. The poll will close at 3 p.m. Wednesday with the winner announced on lohud sports social media.
Andrew Ciszewski, Hastings
The senior pitcher won two games last week and made school history by hurling Hastings’ first perfect game in its 117-year history. The perfect game was against Leffell — 21 batters up, 21 batters down with 11 strikeouts. His other win came against Rye Neck. In that one, he also struck out 11, allowed only two hits, walked none and yielded no runs.
Nico Echols, Kennedy Catholic
The senior first baseman put up big offensive numbers to help the Gaels go 3-1 last week. He went 3-for-4 with a single, two doubles and three runs scored against Stepinac, was 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI vs. Monsignor McClancy, was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI vs. Holy Cross and was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI vs. Scanlan. In all, he hit .545 with a .538 on-base percentage and 1.448 OPS and drove in five runs.
Gianluca Giordano, Iona Prep
The senior pitcher hurled a complete-game one-hitter in a win over St. Francis, giving up no walks and striking out six.
Drew Lichtenberger, Mahopac
Mahopac went 4-0 last week behind the senior catcher, who had a monster week with the bat. He hit .750 with five home runs, nine runs scored, 12 runs batted in and a huge OPS of 2.750.
Joe Moliterno, Nanuet
The Golden Knights picked up two wins in three games last week with the junior pitcher/second baseman playing key roles. Over the course of three games he went 7-for-14 with a double, three stolen bases, three runs scored and three runs batted in. In a win against Pearl River, he came out of the pen to pitch 5 1/3 innings of two-hit, no-walk , no-run ball, striking out three.
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Who’s Baseball Player of the Week, presented by White Plains Hospital?
Reporting by Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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