NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) has announced that Mystic first baseman Terry Bowens (CCSU) has been named the 2019 Rick Ligi Most Valuable Player.
Bowens, who was also named the league’s Top Pro Prospect on Tuesday and an All-League First-Team selection Monday, puts a bow on an incredible summer by taking home the New England League’s most prestigious individual playing honor. He becomes Mystic’s second Rick Ligi Most Valuable Player in the last three years, Tommy Jew from the 2017 squad for those honors.
The league leader in home runs (16) and RBIs (53), Bowens set a new league single-season record in the latter category, helping the Mystic finish in third place in the Southern Division. He owned a .331 batting average for the summer on 52 hits in 157 at-bats while ranking fourth in the league with 41 runs scored, second in total bases (109), tied for first in extra-base hits (25) and first in slugging percentage (.694). The rising junior at CCSU had nine doubles on the year and drew 20 walks.
Bowens burst onto the scene after a stellar sophomore campaign playing in nearby New Britain, Connecticut, with the Blue Devils. He was named a Second Team All-Northeast Conference selection and was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team after helping the Blue Devils win the league tournament title. Bowens batted .376 with a .459 on-base percentage and .640 slugging percentage as a sophomore, driving in 26 and scoring 26 himself while registering 13 multi-hit games. He had 20 extra-base hits for the season, as well.
Mystic catcher Michael Caruso (Fairfield) has been named the NECBL’s Sportsman of the Year for the 2019 season, as announced Thursday.
Caruso becomes the third Mystic player in team history to take the top sportsman accolade, joining Aaron Hill (2015) and Joe Rosencrance (2013).
A rising junior at Fairfield, Caruso was the Schooners’ emotional leader all season. He was an instrumental piece of the team’s 6-0 start, catching five of the six games and immediately displaying relentless energy behind the plate that brought the team together in quick fashion.
Unfortunately, the right-handed-hitting Caruso — who was batting nearly .400 through seven games with five hits in 13 at-bats, as well as two runs scored and five walks drawn — sustained a wrist injury that would eventually shut him down for the remainder of the summer.
Rather than return home for the summer, Caruso elected to stay in Mystic and caught bullpens, worked on daily catching drills, coached first base and maintained his leadership status from the sideline throughout the season.
Earlier in the week, the NECBL unveiled the members of the 2019 All-NECBL First and Second Teams on Monday and a familiar name appeared on the list. Sanford Mainers second baseman Drew DeMartino earned first-team honors after finishing the season with a .319 batting average in 160 at-bats. The right-handed hitter from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, had six home runs and 31 RBIs in 43 games played. DeMartino was selected to the NECBL All-Star Game in late July.
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