Week 7 PGCBL Player of the Week: Josh Anderson (Yavapai), Glens Falls

Josh Anderson, a PGCBL all-star starter, batted .462 (12-for-26) over six games with two home runs and eight RBI. Anderson scored four runs and posted two doubles. He compiled a .769 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage. In 26 at-bats, Anderson struck out just once. The Poway, Calif., native turned in four multi-hit, two multi-RBI and two multi-run games. He recorded at least one hit in all six contests and drove in at least one run in five games.

The Yavapai College product returned to the Glens Falls’ line-up on July 21 after missing about two weeks due to injury. He began last week with a pair of 2-for-4, one-RBI efforts in back-to-back games versus Elmira and Cooperstown. In the night cap of a twin bill at Cooperstown on July 27, Anderson drilled a one-out RBI single to give the Golden Eagles an insurance run in a 4-2 victory. Saturday night against Mohawk Valley at cavernous Vet’s Park, Anderson clocked a pair of solo home runs in his first two at-bats. He finished with three hits total. The rising sophomore was a key ingredient in the Golden Eagles’ 7-4 win over rival Amsterdam on Sunday night. Anderson went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored; he accounted for five of the Golden Eagles’ runs.

With four regular season games left, Anderson leads Glens Falls in batting average (.350), home runs (seven) and runs batted in (30).

Week 6 PGCBL Player of the Week: Will Remillard (Temple), Albany

Will Remillard led all PGCBL hitters last week with a .609 (14-for-23) batting average. Remillard drove in nine runs, scored five times, doubled twice and slugged his third home run of the summer. The Temple University product posted at least one hit in all six of Albany’s games and he recorded multiple hits in five of those six contests. Remillard additionally posted four games with at least one hit, one run scored and one RBI.

The Cohoes, N.Y., native began the week with a 2-for-3 performance at home against Newark in a 6-3 victory. He singled home one run and scored another. The next evening versus Elmira, Remillard went 4-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. He turned in his best performance at Elmira on Thurs., July 21. Remillard dinged a three-run home run and drove in five runs in his first three at-bats; he fell a triple shy of batting for the cycle. The 2011 Philadelphia Big 5 Rookie of the Year recorded three hits and accounted for three runs (two scored, one driven in) in a night cap win over nationally-ranked Glens Falls as part of a twin bill. He closed out the week with an RBI single and a double at home versus Watertown on Sunday night.

Week 5 PGCBL Player of the Week: Erick Gaylord (Campbell), Watertown

Saturday night in Amsterdam, Erick Gaylord mashed four home runs and finished 5-for-5 with seven RBI as the Watertown Wizards defeated the nationally-ranked Amsterdam Mohawks 9-8. Sunday afternoon, Gaylord slugged two solo home runs in his final two at-bats against the Cooperstown Hawkeyes at Doubleday Field.  The Watertown center fielder totaled six clouts in his final 10 plate appearances of the week.

Overall, the Atlanta, Ga., native batted .458 (11-for-24) over six games, all on the road, with six home runs and 10 RBI. He scored seven times, walked twice and produced four multi-hit games. Gaylord accumulated a 1.208 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. Defensively, the Campbell University product recorded three outfield assists. Gaylord earned two of the three helpers by throwing out runners attempting to score.

Through 32 games played, Gaylord leads the PGCBL with nine home runs and 36 RBI, both of which are Watertown single-season franchise records. His .360 batting average and 40 hits both rank fourth among PGCBL hitters. He has posted 11 multi-hit games including a pair of five-hit performances.

Week 4 PGCBL Player of the Week: Luke Maile (Kentucky), Amsterdam

Luke Maile was part of Amsterdam’s New York Collegiate Baseball League championship squad last summer. The University of Kentucky catcher rejoined the Mohawks nine days ago and sparked the Tribe’s offense as part of a 5-2 week. Maile batted .522 (12-for-23) over seven games with two home runs and nine RBI. He scored seven runs, drew seven walks, cracked five doubles and amassed a 1.000 slugging percentage. Maile had four multi-hit and three multi-RBI games. He reached base safely in all seven contests. The second-year Mohawk committed just one error in 55 defensive chances, picked off two runners and threw out another attempting to steal.

The Crestview Hills, Ky., native set off his own Fourth of July fireworks with a 4-for-5 performance at Cooperstown. Maile drove in three runs, scored three runs, belted two doubles and slugged a solo home run. He broke a 4-4 tie in the 10th inning with a two out, two-run double. Three nights later, Maile struck a key RBI single and halted Watertown rallies in consecutive innings by picking runners off of second base. In a joust for first place in the PGCBL East with Glens Falls on Sat., July 9, he sparked a five-run rally with a lead-off single and a stolen base and then later clubbed a three-run home run. Through eight games, Maile is batting .500. The UK backstop hit .318 for the Mohawks last summer and drove in 10 runs.

Week 3 PGCBL Player of the Week: Larry Balkwill (Siena), Watertown

Larry Balkwill was one of the key ingredients in a 5-2 week for the Wizards. Balkwill batted .560 (14-for-25) with two home runs and nine RBI. He scored 10 runs, swatted six doubles and tripled once. The Watertown backstop cracked nine total extra-base hits, slugged 1.120 and recorded a .621 on-base percentage. He registered four multi-hit, three multi-run and two multi-RBI games. Balkwill reached base at least once in all seven Watertown contests. During the week, Balkwill raised his batting average over 230 points. Defensively, he did not commit an error in 34 total chances. The Chatham, Ont., native recorded a PGCBL first on Thurs., June 30, when he hit for the cycle against nationally-ranked Glens Falls at spacious East Field. Balkwill went 5-for-6 with four RBI and four runs scored in a 17-6 Watertown victory. The 2009 Detroit Tigers' draft pick nearly hit for the cycle two nights before at Albany. He singled, doubled and belted a home run in a 3-for-5, three-RBI effort against the Dutchmen. Through 13 games played, Balkwill is batting .378 with two home runs and 11 RBI.

 Week 2 PGCBL Co-Players of the Week: Aaron Hopper (Marietta), Elmira; Justin Lacy (Longwood), Elmira

Aaron Hopper and Justin Lacy were two of Elmira's offensive catalysts in a 4-1 week for the Pioneers which saw the team leap from worst to first in the PGCBL West. The two are the second and third Pioneers to be honored by the PGCBL. Elmira's David Bishop (Miss. State) was the PGCBL Player of the Week in Week 1. Hopper batted .421 (8-for-19) and drove in seven runs. Four of his eight hits were doubles and he scored four times. The Marietta College rising junior totaled at least one hit in all five games for the Pioneers and he had three multi-hit and two multi-RBI games. Hopper collected three hits, two runs and two RBI in two midweek victories over the Amsterdam Mohawks. Against Watertown on Fri., June 24, he drove in three runs on two hits and scored twice. The next night, the Wheelersburg, Ohio, native ripped a two-run double in a 5-4 triumph. He finished the week with a 2-for-4 performance at Cooperstown. Hopper leads the PGCBL in hits and he is tied with teammate Justin Lacy and Josh Anderson (Yavapai) of Glens Falls for the league lead in RBI. Justin Lacy started all five games for Elmira and batted .389 (7-for-18) with seven RBI. Lacy scored five runs and slammed three doubles. He had at least one hit, one run and one RBI in four of five contests. The Longwood University rising junior registered one multi-run, two multi-hit and two multi-RBI games. Defensively, he was errorless in 39 overall chances at first base. Lacy went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a run scored in a 5-0 victory over Amsterdam on Tues., June 21. The following evening against Amsterdam, he scored on an Aaron Hopper RBI double and then ripped an RBI single in his next at-bat in a 6-5 triumph. The Glen Allen, Va., native scored twice, belted a two-run double and drove in three runs altogether at home against Watertown on Fri., June 24. Back at Dunn Field versus Watertown on Saturday, Lacy led the Pios with three hits and his RBI single in the seventh inning brought in the eventual winning run in a 5-4 victory. Through Sunday's games, Lacy is tied with teammate Aaron Hopper and Josh Anderson of Glens Falls for the league lead in RBI. He is also tied with teammate Ryan Normoyle (Wash., Md.) for second in the PGCBL in hits.

Week 1 PGCBL Player of the Week: David Bishop (Miss. State), Elmira

David Bishop appeared in seven of Elmira's eight games and batted .375 (9-for-24) with three home runs and six RBI. He scored seven runs, smashed three doubles and tallied an .875 slugging percentage as well as a .464 on-base percentage. The Elmira designated hitter leads the PGCBL in home runs, slugging percentage and total bases (21). He is tied for tied in the eight-team loop in batting average. Bishop has posted two multi-hit, two multi-run and two multi-RBI games as well as one multi-home run game. The Mobile, Ala., native scored three runs on in Elmira's season opener against Cooperstown on Thurs., June 9. He went 1-for-2 with three runs, two walks and one RBI. Bishop belted two solo home runs against the Glens Falls Golden Eagles at spacious East Field on Wed., June 15. He drilled his league-leading third home run on Sat., June 18, in the night cap of a home doubleheader with the Newark Pilots. The Elmira masher finished the twin bill with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI.

PGCBL Player of the Week
Week 1*: David Bishop (Miss. State), Elmira
Week 2: Aaron Hopper (Marietta), Elmira; Justin Lacy (Longwood), Elmira
Week 3: Larry Balkwill (Siena), Watertown
Week 4: Luke Maile (Kentucky), Amsterdam
Week 5: Erick Gaylord (Campbell), Watertown
Week 6: Will Remillard (Temple), Albany
Week 7: Josh Anderson (Yavapai), Glens Falls
*Period of June 9 - June 19