Jose Carerra named Valley League Player of the Week

Covington second baseman José Carerra was named the Valley Baseball League’s D-BAT Player of the Week for June 30-July 5.

Carerra, a rising sophomore at Manhattan College, is the sixth player to garner the weekly honor. He joins previous honorees infielder Hunter Newman (Front Royal), pitchers Jake Perkins (New Market) and Jordan Harmon (Waynesboro), outfielder Hunter Thomas (Staunton), and designated hitter Matt Rose (Harrisonburg). Carerra was selected from 11 candidates nominated by coaches and VBL media relations staff. This is his second Honorable Mention of the season.

Last week, Carerra went 9-for-13 for a .692 batting average and a .769 SLG% in three games in which the Lumberjacks were 2-1. He hit two doubles and one home run, adding four RBIs, two walks, and one strikeout, contributing to wins over Front Royal and New Market.

This season, Carerra’s stats include a .350 batting average (11^th among league hitters),.422 on-base percentage, and .490 slugging average. In 100 at-bats, he has 35 hits, including eight doubles, two homeruns, 24 runs, 19 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 12 walks and five strikeouts. He leads Covington in several offensive categories, including runs, doubles, RBIs, and walks, and is second in stolen bases and hits.

Honorable Mentions

• Matt Albanese, OF, Aldie (Bryant/ East Haddam, Conn.)
• Justin Harris, OF, Charles Town (Emporia State/Tulsa, Okla.)
• Jacob Russell, OF, Front Royal (Campbellsville/Lawrenceburg, Ky.)
• Brett Morgan, RHP, Harrisonburg (Wingate/Mooresville, N.C.)
• Cody Acker, OF, New Market (Virginia Commonwealth University/Silver Spring, Md.)
• James Vasquez, 1B, Staunton (Central Florida/Palm City, Fla.)
• Mike Vinson, RHP, Strasburg (Florida/Miami, Fla.)
• Kyle Pitts, INF, Waynesboro (Stetson/Coral Springs, Fla.)
• Alex Mata, SS, Winchester (St. Leo/Fort Myers, Fla.)
• Greg Ostner, RHP, Woodstock (Binghamton/ New Milford, Conn.)

The next D-Bat Player of the Week will be announced on July 14 and will include games from Monday, July 7 through Sunday, July 13).

The Valley League plays a 44-game season in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The wooden-bat collegiate summer league, which dates from 1897, is sanctioned by the NCAA, funded in part by a grant with Major League Baseball, and affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.

Valley League has produced well over 1,000 professional baseball players. Last year, 27 Valley League alumni were playing in the Major Leagues. In the 2014 MLB Draft, 48 former players, including one current player, were drafted.

More information is available at www.valleyleaguebaseball.com.