Shinnosuke Takahashi, May Athlete of the Month

Freshman infielder Shinnosuke Takahashi was named Male Athlete of the Month in May. Takahashi, a Liberal Arts & Sciences: Generals Studies major at Herkimer College, helped Herkimer win the Region III Championship and place third at the NJCAA DIII World Series during the spring.

Takahashi - who is from Chiba, Japan - helped the Generals to a .789 winning percentage in 19 games (15-4), hitting .452 with 23 runs, 33 hits, nine doubles, three home runs and 24 RBIs, finishing the season 11^th in the nation in runs scored (50) and 15^th in runs batted in (44). The freshman made his biggest impact in the Region III tournament where he hit .615 with eight hits, one home run and seven RBIs. It helped Herkimer defeat Niagara 13-5, Erie 11-3 and Onondaga 9-3 for the championship.

Just when the team thought Takahashi might have peaked, the left-hander accumulated seven more RBI’s in the DIII World Series, hitting .400 with seven runs scored and yet another home run. Takahashi had an RBI in every game of the World Series, finishing with at least one in his last eight games, getting two RBIs in two of the five games played in Tyler, Texas. His third home run of the season came in the team’s final game against Cumberland County College, giving the freshman all his home runs in the final 10 games of the season.