CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Elizabethton’s Hudson Brown (Kentucky) and Kingsport’s Ronin Vicenti (Johnson County CC) were named Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of June 30-July 6.
Brown, 20, slashed .571/.643/1.190 with a 1.833 OPS in six games en route to Player of the Week honors. The River Riders first baseman finished the week 12-for-21 with two home runs, five doubles, one triple and nine RBI. Brown led all Appy League hitters in slugging percentage, OPS, doubles and total bases (25), he tied for the league lead in hits, home runs, triples, RBI and runs scored (8). Brown was second in on-base percentage and third in average.
Brown hit safely in all six games and had five multi-hit games. He started the week with a 5-for-10 showing in three games against Bristol, doubling three times with three RBI. On Friday, he opened the road trip in Pulaski with a home run and finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI. Brown’s standout performance came Saturday, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double, triple and three RBI; he finished a single shy of the cycle.
The Olive Branch, Miss., native is hitting .348 with a 1.020 OPS, two home runs and 16 RBI in 19 games for Elizabethton. Brown is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak, which is tied for the longest in the Appy League this year. He appeared in 43 games as a redshirt freshman at Kentucky last spring where he hit .265 with three home runs and 20 RBI.
Vicenti, 19, was named Pitcher of the Week after a dominant start on the road against Tri-State on July 4. The Axmen right-hander allowed just one hit across five scoreless innings Friday; he struck out a season-best seven batters and walked one. Vicenti finished the week tied for first in the Appy League in ERA (0.00). He was second in both WHIP (0.40) and batting average against (.056).
The Blue Springs, Mo., native is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across six appearances (five starts) for Kingsport this summer. Vicenti’s 21.0 innings pitched are tied for the third most in the league, and he ranks fourth with 25 strikeouts. Vicenti appeared in 13 games as a freshman at Johnson County CC in Kansas this past spring where he struck out 19 hitters in 13.1 innings.
About the Appalachian League
Founded in 1911, the Appalachian League is one of the longest-running baseball leagues in history. The Appy League is the only collegiate summer league under MLB and USA Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline (“PDP”) and is an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Teams and other future National teams.
For more information about the Appalachian League, visit appyleague.com or follow @appyleague and @appyleaguedata on X, and @appyleague on Instagram.
