KEENE, NH - Keene Swamp Bats shortstop Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, IN/Louisville) has earned New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Top Defensive Player of the Year and NECBL First-Team honors from the NECBL and its coaches, it was announced earlier today.
Chittenden guided the Swamp Bats to a pair of franchise records on defense en route to helping Keene capture its first NECBL title in eight seasons.
The freshman shortstop compiled a .968 fielding percentage in 40 games played during the regular season aiding the Swamp Bats defense to a franchise-best 42 double plays turned, three shy of the NECBL record, and a franchise-record .973 fielding percentage. No other team in Keene’s 14-year history has ever had a fielding percentage of .970 or above.
Chittenden led the league in assists with 123 on the season, 34 ahead of the second-place contender, and was second in putouts. His .968 fielding percentage was tops in the league for the 2011 season at the shortstop position.
The Louisville product also had a fine season at the plate hitting .298 (45-of-151) with 31 runs scored (third overall in the league), seven doubles, four home runs and 29 runs batted in. Chittenden also posted an .816 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), .424 slugging percentage (SLG) and a .392 on-base percentage (OBP).
