Seven MCC Student-Athletes Named to NJCAA Division III All-Region XXI Baseball Team

MANCHESTER, Conn. (May 17) – Manchester Community College sophomore center fielder Clint Mitchell (WINDSOR), freshman second baseman Steve Kelley (GLASTONBURY), sophomore catcher Josue Lopez (MANCHESTER), freshman left-hander Marcus Wilcox (CANTON) and freshman designated hitter Jason Banks (STAFFORD SPRINGS) were named to the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III All-Region XXI baseball first team.

Freshman shortstop Aaron Granahan (THOMASTON) received second-team distinction and freshman right-hander Phil Kayan (AVON) earned honorable-mention status.

Mitchell, a transfer from Community College of Rhode Island, led MCC in the regular season with a .463 batting average, .621 slugging percentage, .548 on-base percentage, 44 hits, 11 doubles, 59 total bases, 16 walks and 29 runs scored. He had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 46 putouts and 14 assists in 28 games.

Kelley, the only Manchester Community College player to appear in every game (29), hit .356 in a team-high 104 at-bats. He scored 27 runs (second), totaled 37 hits (third) and stole eight bases (tied for second). Kelley hit a two-run, walkoff home run in a 6-4 win against MassBay Community College on April 29. It was one of three MCC regular-season home runs hit in 2006.

Lopez hit .414 with a .529 slugging percentage (second), .514 on-base percentage (second), seven doubles (second), 23 RBIs (third), 36 hits (fourth) and one home run. He appeared in and caught 28 of t29 regular-season games.

Wilcox went 3-3 with a team-best 2.09 earned-run average. He led the team with 51 2/3 innings pitched, nine starts, two saves, 41 strikeouts and a .168 batting-average against.

Banks (.371 batting average) had a team-high 31 RBIs and tied for first with two triples. He totaled 33 hits, including a home run, and tied for third with a .517 slugging percentage and six doubles.

Granahan (.414), the third MCC player to hit above .400, stole a team-high 10 bases in 10 chances and tied for second with 41 hits and 26 RBIs. He struck out a team-low six times in 99 at-bats and had a team-high three sacrifice flies.

Kayan went 6-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 45 2/3 innings over 11 appearances. He started the season with six straight wins, including a relief victory against NJCAA Division II-opponent University of Connecticut at Avery Point on March 26. That was UCAP’s last regular-season loss.

The NJCAA Region XXI Baseball Committee selections and statistics used above are based on final regular-season numbers.

MCC finished the season with a 19-11 record. The host and fourth-seeded Cougars defeated Holyoke Community College 2-1 in an opening-round NJCAA Division III Region XXI Baseball Tournament game Saturday. It was MCC’s final game as only three tournament games were able to be played from May 12-16 due to rain and unplayable field conditions.