BEVERLY, Mass. — No. 4/6 Endicott baseball senior outfielder Zach Stephenson (Mansfield, Mass.) and sophomore infielder Cade Bernardo (Glenmont, N.Y.) have been named the Conference of New England's (CNE) Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
ZACH STEPHENSON | OF | CNE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
In No. 4/6 Endicott's 4-0 week (3-0 CNE), Stephenson ignited the Gulls offense from the leadoff spot.
The centerfielder slashed .526 AVG / .550 OBP / .842 SLG in 19 AB. He logged 10 hits on the week, none bigger than his 10th-inning go-ahead grand slam against WNE on Sunday. He also notched six runs, five RBI's, five stolen bases, a double, a triple, a walk, and seven singles in his four games played.
In Tuesday's 23-4 CNE win over Suffolk, Stephenson went 3-for-5 with a triple, two singles, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
Then, on Wednesday at UMass Boston in a tight 2-0 win, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a run, and two more thefts.
After going 1-for-5 in game one of Sunday's CNE doubleheader tilt with WNE (6-1 Endicott win), he erupted in game two. Stephenson posted a career-high in hits (four) and RBI (five) in Endicott's 10-inning, 7-2 game two win over the Golden Bears. It was his 10th inning grand slam (fourth hit of the contest) that secured the victory, putting the Gulls up 7-2 in extras to keep their 36-game home winning streak alive (dating back to 2023). In game two, Stephenson also scored two runs, swiped another two bags, and walked to reach base a total of five times on the day.
This is Stephenson's second career CNE Player of the Week award (4/9/24).
CADE BERNARDO | INF | CNE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
In Endicott's 4-0 week (3-0 CNE), Bernardo slashed an imposing .438 AVG / .412 OBP / .813 SLG in the heart of the Gulls lineup.
He also crushed two homers, drove in six runs, and scored four runs in the four-game stretch.
During Endicott's blowout 23-4 CNE win over Suffolk, Bernardo went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI's, and two runs scored.
He followed up with another multi-hit game the very next day at UMass Boston in a tight 2-0 road win for the Gulls. The first baseman went 2-for-4 in the thrilling win.
With WNE coming to Beverly for a CNE doubleheader on Sunday, Bernardo continued his torrid stretch. He homered in a 1-for-3 outing during game one (solo shot; sac fly), and then went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in game two.
This is Bernardo's third career CNE Rookie of the Week award (3/17/25, 3/24/25).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 4/6 Endicott (18-3, 6-0 CNE) welcomes Tufts tomorrow in a 3:30 PM non-conference matchup at North Field.
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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25, Jake Goodman '26)
