Congrats to UChoose Student-Athlete of the Week
JT Morin, Wilton baseball
June 2, 2015
JT Morin, a senior lefthander on Wilton High’s baseball team, has been voted our eighth UChoose Student-Athlete of the Week for the spring 2015 season!
JT delivered two impressive pitching performances in leading Wilton to its first FCIAC tournament title in 20 years, pitching a total of 15 innings and striking out 26 without allowing an earned run. Meet JT Wednesday June 3 on the new edition of In Focus!
May 26 against Norwalk in the quarterfinals, he struck out 14 while scattering eight hits on 137 pitches in a 6-1 victory over Norwalk. Norwalk had runners at second and third in the first three innings, but Morin got out of each jam, including on a strikeout in this Hersam Acorn network video here.
Three days later, JT pitched an two-hit, eight-inning shutout, striking out 12 to lead the Warriors to a 1-0 win over Staples-Westport in the conference championship game in Bridgeport (Photo courtesy GretchenMcMahonphotography.com).
From Dave Ruden’s game story on TheRudenReport.com:
Though he has one of the state’s deepest starting rotations, there was no question who Wilton coach Tim Eagen was sending out to the mound for Friday night’s FCIAC championship game with Staples.
“JT is getting the ball, it is his game,” Eagen said an hour before the opening pitch. “He wants the ball.”
Then, in a performance that will permanently etch his name in league lore, Morin went out and threw a complete-game 2-hitter, striking out 12 in a classic 1-0, 8-inning win over the Wreckers at Harbor Yard.
It is the Warriors’ first title in 20 years and was quite literally delivered by a pitcher who surpassed the 120-pitch count for the second time on two days’ rest.
“It was incredible to play here with all the fans behind us and the adrenaline, it was awesome,” Morin said. “I did a ton of rehab every day and today I went out in the bullpen and I felt it. I had my best stuff and threw strikes.”
After Wilton scored in the eighth, Morin closed the game in the bottom of the inning by striking out the side for his seventh victory this season.
Wilton (18-5) is the ninth seed in the CIAC Class LL tournament.
Shelton pitcher Mike Cowell, Amity softball player Katie Koshes, New Milford girls lacrosse player Marisa McLaughlin, North Branford softball player Lindsay Golia, Northwest Catholic girls lacrosse player Lauren Cenci, Middletown softball player Kelsey White and Joel Barlow-Redding pitcher Mark Raymond were our previous spring 2015 honorees. Check CPTVSports.org this weekend for our next slate of UChoose Student-Athlete of the Week nominees.
Our UChoose Student-Athletes of the Week for winter 2014-15:
Greenwich boys basketball player Conor Harkins, Holy Cross-Waterbury girls basketball player RaShana Siders, Fairfield co-op boys hockey player Jake Fuss, Northwest Catholic boys hockey player Anthony Ceolin, Northwest boys basketball player Christian Thomas, Masuk-Monroe boys basketball player Bryan Acevedo, New Fairfield/Immaculate hockey player Peter Masi, Simsbury boys basketball player Rayon Christie, Greenwich boys hockey Matt Lodato, Wilbur Cross runner Danae Rivers and Notre Dame-Fairfield girls basketball player Kayla Croswell, Simsbury boys hockey player Ben Levin and Canton girls basketball player Emily Briggs. Our athlete of the winter was Branford boys hockey player Tyler Criscuolo.
Our fall 2014 winners:
Fairfield Warde girls soccer player Taylor Gabrenas, Cheshire girls volleyball player Jillian Haberli, Torrington boys soccer player Kevin Vaca, Cheney Tech-Manchester quarterback Rafael Lebron, Maloney-Meriden soccer player Ricardo Lopez, Danbury boys soccer goalie Ian Shannon, Northwest Catholic-West Hartford running back Delano Robinson, Derby’s Ben Slowik, Norwich Free Academy’s Jawaun Johnson, Valley Regional’s Andrew Tuscano, Windsor’s John Nolan.
Click here on our guidelines for the award.
Photo courtesy GretchenMcMahonphotography.com