BENNINGTON, Vt. — The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced its batch of weekly spring honors for the period ending April 3, 2016 on Monday with Southern Vermont College sophomore John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) being named the Baseball Player of the Week for the second straight time.

Arancio is repeating as the league's top player as he continued his hot hitting last week to help extend the Mountaineers' winning streak to four games, now having hit safely in eight of SVC's last nine matchups. The sophomore shortstop went 4-for-8 (.500) across the team's two contests, scoring three runs and batting in four more. He knocked out his second homer of the year at Eastern Nazarene College on Wednesday to slug .875 on the week, adding a walk for a .600 on-base percentage. The sophomore didn't strikeout at all in 10 total plate appearances, and he was perfect in 17 total chances at short.

Arancio was joined in collecting NECC laurels by freshman teammate Joe Braim (Schuylerville, N.Y.) who picked up the Baseball Rookie of the Week accolade.

Braim also had a great week for SVC, providing valuable playing time at both first base and on the mound. He tallied his first collegiate win from the bump at Eastern Nazarene on Wednesday, going eight strong innings with the start while allowing just one run on eight hits and striking out four Lion batters. He then went 2-for-3 at the plate at MCLA on Thursday with a double, two RBIs and a run scored; the rookie was also perfect at first as he converted on each of the seven total chances he saw defensively during the Mountaineers' 16-4 win over the Trailblazers. That is Braim's first Conference recognition in his young collegiate career.

Arancio, Braim and the Mountaineers are scheduled to return to action on Saturday as they head to Becker College for the first two of a three-game NECC weekend series to be played in Leicester, first pitch of that doubleheader slated for 12 p.m.