BOSTON – For the second week in a row, Suffolk baseball's Charles Batchelder was dominant on the mound. And for the second straight week his performance earned him GNAC Corvias Pitcher of the Week. Joining the junior RHP with weekly recognition from the league is freshman outfielder Will Hopkins, who picked up his second GNAC Corvias Rookie of the Week nod of the season, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.
Batchelder and Hopkins were instrumental in Suffolk's doubleheader split at No. 1/3 UMass Boston Saturday afternoon. Hopkins, who has earned the conference's best rookie over a seven day stretch title in two of the Rams' three active weeks, contributed in both outings of the twinbill as the starter in left field, while Batchelder earned the victory on the rubber in the nightcap.
After the Rams slipped late in game one, falling to the Beacons, 3-1, Batchelder, who calls Shrewsbury, Massachusetts home, took over the hill for game two. He picked up his second weekly award in as many weeks and in his career as the rightie pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in the Rams' 3-1 win over UMass Boston. In his third straight of the season, he collected his second win, facing 28 batters and allowed no earned runs.
Hopkins also excelled in the series closer after recording one walk and one hit to open the day. The freshman from Old Rochester, Massachusetts got Suffolk on the board in the top of second. He led off the frame with a single through the left side, sniped second, advanced to third on an erratic throw and took advance of the second straight wild pitch to make it a 1-0 game in the blue-and-gold's favor. Hopkins finished the day with a 1-for-2 showing at the plate, one run, one walk and a persona;-best two stolen bases.
Batchelder and Hopkins are the second set of Rams to garner weekly awards the same week this season as Brady Chant and Hopkins grabbed player and pitcher, respectively, March 12. The pitcher and rookie combo marks the first for Suffolk this season and first since Jake Frasca and Kevin Sinatra earned the titles March 28, 2016. Individually, Batchelder is the first Suffolk arm to take home two pitcher of the week accolades since Worth Walrod opened the 2016 season with back-to-back pitching recognition from the league, while Hopkins became the first rookie since Fraca in 2016 to collect multiple rookie of the week nods.
Suffolk is set for a hectic end of the week as the Rams have four games over three days schedule. Action is scheduled to get underway Thursday, March 29 when the blue-and-gold makes the trip to Providence, Rhode Island, for a non-conference clash at Salve Regina. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.