Northern Essex southpaw Jairo Vazquez named DIII Pitcher of the Year
Charlotte, NC - Jairo Vazquez of Northern Essex Community College (MA) has been named the 2023 NJCAA Division III Baseball Pitcher of the Year, following an incredible season for the Knights.
The southpaw led the nation with a 0.93 ERA on the season and was tied for the most strikeouts on the season with 121. The sophomore's 0.93 ERA was the second lowest amongst all NJCAA pitchers across all three divisons. Vazquez's 16.01 strikeouts per nine was the second highest in all of NJCAA Division III.
Vazquez led the Knights to the NJCAA DIII World Series for the second consecutive season, and they finished the world series with a third-place finish. In the District Tournament, Vazquez took the mound in game one against Kingsborough (NY), where he tossed 6.2 innings while striking out 13 batters and only allowing 4 hits and no earned runs. The Knights would win the Northeast District Championship
"His lead by example and maturity is what propelled our team to the NJCAA Championships. Jairo has a work ethic and mindset that will follow him to the professional level," Northern Essex Head Baseball Coach Jeff Mejia said.
At the DIII World Series, took the mound in the first round against Joliet (IL) in what would be a pitcher's duel. Vazquez tossed a shutout and held the Wolves to five hits and struck out six. In the sophomore's only other appearance, Vazquez came in relief for the Knights against the No. 3 seed Niagara County (NY). The southpaw allowed only one hit across 1.1 innings and struck out three to keep the Knights alive. These efforts awarded Vazquez with the 2023 NJCAA DIII Baseball World Series Pitcher of the Tournament.
"Jairo had a truly remarkable and record-breaking season. I could not be any prouder of Jairo as the person he has become," Coach Mejia said.
2023 Stats
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68.0 innings pitched
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0.93 ERA (nation-leading)
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121 strikeouts (T-1 in the nation)
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8-0 record
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16.01 strikeouts per game
2023 Accomplishments
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2023 NJCAA DIII World Series Appearance
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2023 NJCAA DIII Baseball World Series Pitcher of the Tournament
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2023 NJCAA DIII Baseball First-Team All-America Selection
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2023 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
