HOLYOKE, MA—The Holyoke Blue Sox will send six players to Robbie Mills Field in Laconia, New Hampshire this coming Sunday to play for the West Division in the NECBL All-Star Game. Shortstop Matt Reida, third baseman Brendan Hendriks, and center fielder Jacob Bruce will start for the West, while right fielder Vahn Bozoian and pitchers Michael Burke and Jordan Hillyer will be reserves; additionally, Bruce will compete in the sixty-yard dash while Bozoian will battle in the home run derby prior to the game.
Reida is hitting .271 on 16 hits in 59 at-bats this season, including a pair of doubles and six runs batted in while serving as Holyoke’s primary shortstop this season.
Hendriks is hitting a team-best .344 on the year, good for fifth in the league, on 31 hits in 90 at-bats, with seven doubles, a home run, and a team-high 19 RBI, putting him tied for fourth in the NECBL in that category as well, spending most of the year at third for the Blue Sox.
Bruce is eighth in the league with a .327 average thanks to a team-best 35 hits, tied for fifth in the league, along with eight doubles, 10 RBI, and a team-best six steals, along with sparkling defensive play in center field for Holyoke.
Bozoian has hit .272 for Holyoke this season, going 25 for 92 with six doubles, two home runs, and 13 RBI while playing mostly in right field for the team.
Burke has dominated on the mound, allowing just two earned runs in a league-high 46 innings of work for a microscopic 0.39 ERA, good for second in the league, as well as 37 strikeouts, third in the league; he has allowed just seven walks on the year, and his record stands at 2-0.
Hillyer has been just as critical to the Blue Sox rotation, pitching the second most innings in the league at 39.1 while also coming in second in strikeouts at 38. He is currently 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA.
The All-Star festivities kick off at 12:30 PM; for the itinerary, visit the NECBL’s website at www.necbl.com and click on the All-Star logo on the left side of the page.