National News Archive

 June 13, 2012

COLORADO SPRINGS– Easton™ Baseball, in conjunction with the NJCAA, has named its annual NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year honorees for each respective division of NJCAA baseball.  

Lake Land College (Ill.) shortstop Edward Figuerora earns Easton™ NJCAA Division I Baseball Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Stuart Turner of LSU Eunice (La.) was selected as the Division II Defensive Player of the Year. Catcher Manuel Cabral of Northern Essex Community College (Mass.) was tabbed as the Division III Defensive Player of the Year. 

All three student-athletes were nominated for the award by their head coach and athletic director and were selected as the top defensive player at their position within their district.

Edward Figuerora, a freshman from Orland, Fla., posted a .976 fielding percentage playing shortstop for Lakeland this season. In 51 games played he tallied 49 putouts and 153 assists with only five errors. 

Offensively, Figueroa hit .426 with 15 doubles, two triples, five homeruns and 34 RBI’s.

For his stellar play this season, Figuerora was named to the 2012 NJCAA DI Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Team and was a Third-Team NJCAA All-American selection.

Stuart Turner, a sophomore from Eunice, La., was instrumental in the Bengals winning their fourth national championship in program history. The local talent posted a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate with 346 putouts, 54 assists and just three errors.

He threw out 16 base runners trying to steal during the season out of 27 attempts (.628).

In addition, Turner posted a .323 batting average with 13 doubles, six home runs and 40 runs batted in.

Turner was also honored this year as a 2012 NJCAA DII Rawlings Gold Glove® honoree.

Manuel Cabral, a sophomore from Northern Essex Community College, helped lead his team to a Region 21 Championship and appearance at the DIII World Series. Behind the mask he posted a 1.00 fielding percentage with 152 putouts and 18 assists.

At the plate, Cabral hit four homeruns and drove in 38 runs with a .366 batting average.

Holland was also named to the 2011 NJCAA DIII Rawlings Gold Glove® Team. 

EASTON SPORTS
Easton™ is the official bat supplier of NJCAA Baseball and has been awarding the top defensive player of the year in each of the NJCAA baseballdivisions since 1992. For more information on Eastonvisit www.eastonsports.com