Willis Wins Final CCC Rookie of the Week Selection
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 16, 2022) – The Commonwealth Coast Conference announced their final weekly awards of the semester, with the 2022 baseball season wrapping up this weekend, seeing first year sensation CJ Willis collect his 8th Rookie of the Week recognition of the year.
Willis collected two hits in all four of Western New England's playoff games, on the road to the CCC Championship game, after defeating Suffolk University at home, before upsetting Nichols College on the road to punch their ticket to the CCC Championship for the first time since 2018. The first year opened the playoffs with a 2/5 outing in a loss at eventual champion Endicott College, collecting an RBI on a solo home run, while also collecting a double in the loss. The next day in an elimination game for the Golden Bears, Willis came around to help Western New England hold off elimination from the CCC playoffs, belting another home run, while picking up three RBIs and scoring a run in a 2/4 effort at the plate in a 13-5 win for Western New England over Suffolk University. Western New England would travel to Nichols College on Friday afternoon, looking to upset the four seed in the tournament to punch their ticket to the CCC Championship. Western New England would carry over the momentum from the win over Suffolk into their eventual win over Nichols where again Willis came around with a solo home run and an RBI as WNE would pick up a 14-4 win over the Bison, sending themselves to the CCC Championship game.
The Golden Bears would fall in the championship series with Endicott, though Willis would put on one final show at the plate, collecting two hits, a double and a triple, while scoring Western New England's only run of the contest in an eventual 4-1 loss. On the season, the first baseman put his name into multiple single season records for the Golden Bears including hits, where he is now tied eighth in single season program history with 68, home runs, where Willis is on top of the records books, swinging 14 balls over the fences, a new program record. Willis also sees his 48 RBIs account for tied 10th in single season program history, while his slugging percentage ranks third at .743.
Willis started in and played in all 40 games this season for Western New England, leading the team with a .398 batting average, while also securing team highs in runs (43), hits (68), doubles (11), home runs (14), RBIs (48), stolen bases (11), on base percentage (.441), and slugging percentage (.743). Willis collected eight CCC Rookie of the Week honors of the 11 weeks the award was given as well as winning CCC Player of the Week twice.
