2009 NCBL Award Nominations
Winners to be announced at League Banquet on October 23rd
Team Stats
Tier 4 Leaderboard
Tier 4
Most Valuable Player
Team	Player
Black Sox	Eric Helander
Batted cleanup all season, played 3rd and 1st for us. Eric hit a .407 batting average, led the league in HR (5) and RBI(28), ranked second in the league in slugging percentage (.833),recorded 22 hits including 8 doubles, and ranked in the top 10 in the league in runs scored (18). Eric had an outstanding season. In addition to his power bat, he played outstanding defense at both 3rd and 1st,making only 1 error all season. He was also one of our alternate captains and demonstrated excellent leadership with his lead by example mentality.
Dukes	Adam Nihmey
Adam Nihmey is the Duke's all around most valuable player  for 2009. He was the team's leading hitter, recording a .444 batting average with 20 base hits, including three doubles and a home run, 13 runs and 8 runs batted in. In addition, Nihmey recorded two wins and suffered no losses as a pitcher and managed a tidy 2.63 earned run average. Finally, Nihmey was the team's regular shortstop and the intergral ingredient to the team's infield defence, performing flawlessly with a certain degree of elegance.
Coyotes	James Crosby
James joined the team this year and impacted the league from behind the plate.  His laser-like throws to peg aggressive and un-suspecting base-runners alike changed the momentum of innings and games.  His knowledge of the game helped our pitching staff become more effective.  He was also just as impressive at the plate, with leading the tier in SLG to go with 3 HR, top 5 OBP and top 10 in walks.  Add to that, 9 SB from a catcher!  All this was in 11 games!  James definately made a difference to the Coyotes in making their first playoff appearance since 2005 and two innings from their first Finals appearance since 2002.
Hurricanes	Brian Pettigrew
Going into the season we had wondered what would happen when we lost our regular shortstop and how that transition would fill in.  Brian without hesitation jumped from our utility man to full time shortstop and made experienced infielders look to him for guidance exceeding all expectations and looking as if he were the seasoned veteran of the position.  Truly a gold glover with a quick hand and fast legs, he can read any batter and track down almost anything within the range of the positions surrounding him.  On top of that he had the highest average on team with the best eye at the plate that to many was beyond reasoning…not to mention his “Base-smarts” along the paths being a very aggressive runner.  He leads by example with his “yes mentality” and builds team spirit with his constant support and morale.  Truly a gentleman and highly respected member of the Hurricanes that no words can truly sum up for his overall performance.
Knights	Rob Houston
Led the KNIGHTS with a 5-0 win loss record, 1 save, 39 K's, 1.32 ERA & 1.14 WHIP     Tier 4 leaderboard;  9th in IP (37), 5th in K's, 2nd in wins, 1st in ERA, WHIP & winning percentage, 2nd in saves.          Rob also led Knights in doubles with 5 which is 6th in Tier 4. He had 10 walks (leads the team), 12 runs scored, 11 RBI with a batting average of .320.        GREAT SEASON
Misfits	Scott Willis
Scott Willis was the backbone of our team this year and our natural selection for MVP consideration.  Scott captained the infield, playing a stellar shortstop.  He was always slotted into the number three spot of our batting order and he always delivered.  Scott hit .474 this year with 3 HR, 22 RBI and a whopping .780 slugging percentage.  What really separates Scott from the competition this year is that, when injuries hampered our pitching staff, without any prior experience, Scott stepped up and shouldered much of our pitching responsibilities.  He ended up winning 2 games, while throwing 36 innings and striking out 36 batters.
Rockets	Nick Lenardon
This guy has more tools then Home Depot! He led the team in almost every category. This southpaw has a rocket for an arm and his pitching numbers are simply outstanding: 4-2 record, 46 IP, 3.50 ERA, 1.43 BB+H/IP and an astonishing 64 strike-outs! And no folks, it doesn't end there! He also hammered the ball all over the field: 15/45, .333 BA, .644 SLUG, .423 ONB, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 12 runs and 13 RBIs. Pitching, hitting, fielding, handsome looks and a charming personality...Nicky was the complete package for the Rockets during the 2009 campaign and helped lead the team to the second best record in franchise history!
Sharks	Jeff Dixon
This super sophomore is the Sharks nominee for MVP for the second straight year. He had a great rookie year in 2008 but still managed to up his game to an even higher level in 2009.  This year he finished in the top three in the league in all of the major offensive categories: average (.522), slugging pct (.804), on base pct (.607) and runs scored (21).  For some perspective: he scored a run in 38% of his plate appearances and if you considered all of his singles to be walks he still would have hit .333 solely based on his extra base hits.  This man also has speed evidenced by 8 his SBs in 14 games (even though almost half of his hits went for extra bases) and by his league leading triples total.  He is off the chart in all of our defensive metrics as well; he has great range at SS and his powerful arm allowed him to throw out many would be base runners from deep in the hole. The only thing he did wrong all year was miss 4 games—we went 1 and 3 only scoring 8 runs in the 3 losses. His quiet unassuming manner has helped him remain a league secret thus far but we think he blew his cover with his awesome HR barrage in the playoffs. Who else, representing the tying run, gets “intentionally” walked with no one on base? And he can pitch too, but we won’t let him because the team can’t afford the possibility of an injury!
Best Batter
Team	Player
Black Sox	Eric Helander
.407 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 18 R, 22 H, 8 2B, .833 SLG. Eric is one of the most feared hitters in the NCBL. He is a multi-dimensional hitter with his abilities to hit for a high average, power, and in the clutch.
Dukes	Larry Pawelek
Larry Pawelek is the team's most valuable hitter for 2009. Mr. Pawelek led the team in a number of offensive categories, including plate appearances with 70, bases hits with 25, including 4 doubles, and most importantly, runs batted in . Larry also complied a .385 batting avarage and scored 11 times.
Coyotes	Jonny Trafford
Jonny was good enough to be nominated for all three awards but he, no doubt, is the best batter this season.  He won the batting avg. title with his .537 avg., led the tier in hits (29), second in runs (23), 6th in RBI (16), T3rd in doubles (7), 4th in SLG (.759) and T3rd in OBP (.583).  He followed up in the playoffs with a series-winning, 7th inning, HR against the Dukes in the QF.  I can't see a better option than Jonny Trafford for Tier 4's best batter.
Hurricanes	Brian Pettigrew
.610 Average  ( Subject to change but a stat is missing, he still has it)
Knights	Wes Cory
Led the KNIGHTS with 14 runs scored, 17 hits, 13 RBI, 8 SB's, & .486 AVG.      4th in AVG for Tier 4 & 10th in OBP with .514.        Wes is consistently the best hitter on the Knights year after year.
Misfits	Isaac Cockburn
Isaac Cockburn was a monster hitting out of the fourth spot all year long.  Isaac had 28 RBI in 18 games, when he was up with runners in scoring position, you knew they were going to cross the plate.  Beyond that he hit .466 with 2 HR, 27 h, .638 SLG, and an amazing .523 OBA.
Rockets	Erik "E-Z" Lizotte
He's sleazy, he's breezy and he's E-Z! He's also the Rockets nominee for top batter of the year! Waiting on the pizzle, the dizzle and the shizzle, Eric "E-Z" Lizotte went gangsta styles on the Tier and posted some rock solid numbers at the plate! 15/35, .429 BA, .514 SLUG, .556 ONB, 10 BB, 10 runs, 9 RBIs. E-Z lead the team in batting average, on-base percentage and gold chains! He also has the uncanny ability to pick-up chicks at stop lights! Drop it like it's hot and vote for E-Z for top batter! Fo' Sho'!
Sharks	Jeff Dixon
Jeff finished in the top three in the league in all of the major offensive categories: average (.522), slugging pct (.804), on base pct (.607) and runs scored (21).  For some perspective: he scored a run in 38% of his plate appearances and if you considered all of his singles to be walks he still would have hit .333 solely based on his extra base hits.  He led the league in doubles and triples saving his HR stroke for the play-offs (3 in 5 games).
Best Pitcher
Team	Player
Black Sox	Phillippe Martin
Philippe was the team's ace. He ranked in the top ten in many categories. He pitched a team high 45 innings, recorded 40 Ks, 4.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP. Philippe also recorded a record of 3-4. The Black Sox was a work in progress throughout the season. Philippe kept the team in the game on many outings, survived shaky defense at times that contributed to many non-earned runs, and still managed to record a respectable W-L record on a first year team.
Dukes	Mike Pignat
Mike Pignat is the team's most valuable pitcher for 2009. Mr. Pignat led the team in a number of pitching categories, including wins with 4, inning pitched with 43.6, which was more a third of the team's total, and strikeouts with 27. Mr. Pignat also picked up the only Duke playoff win, holding the hard hitting Coyotes to one one earned run in five innings.
Coyotes	Colin Kargus
Colin fought some early season arm soreness to come back strong in the second half to win some key games down the stretch to help the Coyotes clinch their playoff spot.  He finished with a sparkling 1.59 ERA in 22 IP, 27 K and 2-1 record.  The only pitchers with numbers similar to Colin, play for the Knights.  He followed up in the playoffs by dominating the Dukes and Knights in both game 1s of the QF and SF.
Hurricanes	Brad Richardson
Brad is the man among men when it comes down to starting.  With a team that has strong pitching all around, he took leadership and took out total confidence on the mound posting over 40 k’s.  A great team player with baseball skills to boot, he is fired up for next season already!
Knights	Rob Houston
Led the KNIGHTS with a 5-0 win loss record, 1 save, 39 K's, 1.32 ERA & 1.14 WHIP.     Tier 4 leaderboard;  9th in IP (37), 5th in K's, 2nd in wins, 1st in winning percentage, ERA & WHIP, 2nd in saves.       Break through season for the hard throwing lefty.
Misfits	Marc Laliberte
Marc Laliberte was a workhorse for us this year.  He pitched 46 innings, striking out 24 and racking up 2 wins with a WHIP of 2.02.   Marc could have easily won 5 or six games had our defense not let him down on numerous occasions.  No matter the situation he kept his composure and pitched effectively.
Rockets	Nick Lenardon
It took 10 years, but someone finally did it. And that someone is none other than Nick Lenardon! Mike "The Franchise" Bayley had won this team award for the past 9 seasons, but Nicky has dethroned the champ. And he took numbers and broke some hearts along the way. The numbers don't lie: 4-2 record, 46 IP, 3.50 ERA, 1.43 BB+H/IP and an unbelievable 64 strike-outs. His 64 Ks are the second most in our Tier in 7 years (as per posted stats). In addition, the Rockets pitching staff allowed the least runs in the Tier with an impressive 91 runs against -- only 23 earned runs can be credited to Nick. Slick Nick is just sick!
Sharks	Mike Joy
Much to the chagrin of Tier 4 batters, Mike Joy ended his short retirement to once again take the mound for the Sharks. After a well deserved year off, this 2007 Tier 4 Pitcher of the Year was back at it again in 2009.  A workhorse starter with 44IP, Mike led the league in wins with 6 while fashioning a sparkling 2.55 E.R.A.  Mike upped his game in the playoffs – the highlight of which was a three hit, complete game, shutout in the deciding game of round 1.