Westhampton’s Connolly Named 2026 HCBL MVP
In the closest MVP vote in the league’s history, the 2026 HCBL MVP was awarded to Westhampton’s Brett Connolly (High Point), who beat out teammate Nick Koch (Merrimack) by one point to win the award.
Connolly led the HCBL in batting average, winning the batting title with a .418 average with 38 hits in 91 at-bats. Connolly ranked third in the HCBL in RBI with 24 on the season and ranked second in the league in total bases with 52.
Connolly is the fifth Westhampton player to win the HCBL MVP award, joining Kevin Heller (2011, Amherst), JC Brandmaier (2013, Dowling), Nick Bottari (2017, Southeastern (FL) and Sean Keys (2023, Bucknell) among the Westhampton Aviators who have been named HCBL MVP.
Close behind Connolly and Koch were Southampton’s Nick Slogik (Rowan College at Gloucester) and HCBL stolen bases leader Sam Ametrano (Quinnipiac) of league champion Shelter Island. Riverhead’s Matt Hesselbirg (Mercy) and Sag Harbor’s Finley Holmes (Palm Beach Atlantic) tied for fifth place.
| HCBL MVP Voting | Summer Team/College | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pts |
| Brett Connolly | Westhampton/High Point | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Nick Koch | Westhampton/Merrimack | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Nick Slogik | Southampton/Rowan Gloucester | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| Sam Ametrano | Shelter Island/Quinnipiac | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
| Matt Hesselbirg | Riverhead/Mercy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Finley Holmes | Sag Harbor/Palm Beach Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Chase Jones | Southampton/West Chester | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Manny Carreras | North Fork/Pace | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| David Swift | Shelter Island/Bates | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Aaron Vetter | Sag Harbor/Palm Beach Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |