Koch/Gaspari Named as HCBL Week 3 Award Winners
The HCBL weekly awards saw two student-athletes be recognized for their athletic achievement on the diamond as the 2026 HCBL regular season hit it’s midway point.
Nick Koch (Merrimack) of the Westhampton Aviators was named as the Pepsi Player of the Week while Joe Gaspari (Hartford) of the Shelter Island Bucks was selected as the ACE Hardware Pitcher of the Week.
Koch hit .500 for the Aviators in Week 3 going 8-for-16 at the plate with a home run and six RBI along with four doubles, a triple and seven stolen bases.
Koch had back-to-back three hit games for Westhampton on June 28th against Shelter Island and June 30th against Sag Harbor and on July 1st against North Fork, Koch stole four bases tying an Aviator single-game franchise record.
Gaspari pitched a complete game two-hit shutout for the Bucks on June 27th against the Riverhead Tomcats in Calverton. The New York City native struck out four Riverhead batters as the Bucks picked up a 7-0 win on the road as Gaspari won his first game of the season for Shelter Island.
The HCBL weekly awards are voted on by the league’s six head coaches each weekend.
Pepsi Player of the Week
Opening Weekend (6/12 to 6/14): David Swift, INF, Bates/Shelter Island
Week 1 (6/12 to 6/18): Nick Slogik, INF, Rowan College at Gloucester/Southampton
Week 2 (6/19 to 6/25): Manny Carreras, INF, Pace/North Fork
ACE Hardware Pitcher of the Week
Opening Weekend (6/12 to 6/14): Evan Kay, RHP, Stony Brook/Southampton
Week 1 (6/12 to 6/18): Eric Ressegger, LHP, Adelphi/Riverhead
Week 2 (6/19 to 6/25): Joseph Hiller, RHP, Quinnipiac/Westhampton