Nothing But NESCAC

Breakout Players of 2015

No matter what level and in what sport, every year there are players who come seemingly out of nowhere to become superstars. Last year’s breakout studs included Middlebury QB Matt Milano ’16, Trinity RB Chudi Iregbulem ’15, Wesleyan RB Lou Stevens ’17, Bates WR Mark Riley ’16, Trinity DL Lyle Baker ’16 and Bates LB Mark Upton ’17 – and those were just the All-NESCAC First Teamers. Dozens of other players emerged to become integral cogs in their respective machines. Today we clue you in to a few players who could become studs in 2015. These choices are based off of talking to coaches, word of mouth, combing through statistics and the classic eyeball test. An added wrinkle: we’ve added our level of confidence in each player’s ability to take a big step forward this season.

Amherst DT Paul Johnson ’17

DT Paul Johnson (Courtesy of @AmherstCollFB)

Confidence: High

Johnson was no slouch in 2014, playing in all eight games and recording 26 tackles and four sacks en route to All-NESCAC Second Team Honors. However, with some major pieces having graduated from the front seven, including defensive lineman Max Lehrman ’15, Johnson’s presence will be felt more than ever. The 300-pounder will anchor Amherst’s defensive line at nose guard.

Amherst DE Sam Caldwell ’16

DE Sam Caldwell (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)

Confidence: Medium-High

Back-to-back with the Amherst d-linemen. As mentioned, Lehrman is out and Caldwell is in. Caldwell probably would have started last season but was slowed down by an injury. Expect the superior athlete to wreak havoc on opposing QBs. Caldwell is strong and if he gets free can run like a gazelle (for a defensive lineman). This unit will be scary once again.

Middlebury WR Ryan Rizzo ’17

WR Ryan Rizzo (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)

Confidence: High

You might point to Rizzo’s 29 catches last season, second on the Panthers, and say that by definition 2015 won’t be a breakout. But if you dive in closer, you’ll also see that former teammate Grant Luna ’17 – sidelined by concussions – was next on the Panthers with 27 catches. Why is this important? Because both guys played the same position last season, and Rizzo did nearly all of his damage – 27 of those catches – in the season’s last four games. If he’s healthy – and he did deal with a lower body injury during the spring and summer – he could, hypothetically, double his catches this season. Matt Minno ’16 is likely to draw some double teams outside, meaning the lightning-quick Rizzo will have room to work from the slot.
Also, check out the kid’s new track and buy it on iTunes. He catches passes, hits baseballs and spits fire rhymes.

My new sounds: Life’s Good https://t.co/8f5SOYuzto on #SoundCloud

— Ryan Rizzo (@TheRizzinOne) September 7, 2015

Wesleyan Swiss Army Knife Devon Carrillo ’17

Devon Carrillo (Courtesy of Devon Carrillo's Twitter @TAZZ_Devil8) — Devon Carrillo (Courtesy of Devon Carrillo’s Twitter @TAZZ_Devil8)

Confidence: Low

This confidence rating is not based on a lack of talent, but rather the fact that Carrillo probably didn’t know where he was going to play when he came into camp last week – and he still may not know. In 2013 Carrillo was a dangerous return man (15 kicks for a 25.7 average and eight punts for 7.1 yards per return) and the team’s second-leading tackler with 35. Last year Carrillo found himself mainly running Wildcat QB and returning a few kicks (though there weren’t many returns to be had for last year’s Cardinals). I don’t know what to expect out of Carrillo, and Coach Dan DiCenzo has been very coy about his plans for the junior, but I think he will make a big impact, especially with so many holes to fill for the Cardinals. My best guess is that Carrillo becomes a versatile outside backer while still potentially running a few Wildcat plays.

Colby WR Mbasa Mayikana ’18

WR Mbasa Mayikana (Couresty of Sarah Crosby/Bates College Athletics)

Confidence: Medium

Mayikana is another wideout that was good last season – 20 receptions for 193 yards – but there’s potential this season for so much more. Two big-time targets graduated in Luke Duncklee ’15 and Nick Joseph ’15, so Mayikana likely becomes the No. 2 to Ryder Arsenault ’17. Mayikana is also a track star, and he has the ability to stretch defenses, despite lacking great height (roughly 6’0″ or 6’1″).

Hamilton QB Brandon Tobin ’18

QB Brandon Tobin (Courtesy of Pace University Athletics)

Confidence: Low-Medium

All too often fans and media (whoops) get too excited about higher-level transfers coming in and saving the program. However, in this case there is an opportunity for the local (he’s from New York so that counts) boy to make good. Tobin arrives from D-II Pace University, where he was solid but unspectacular as a rookie in six games. (Read about his decision here.) However, while incumbent QB Chase Rosenberg ’17 gets some leeway for having to learn two offenses in two seasons, his overall performance has not been very impressive. Quarterbacks are always saddled with the weight of a team’s wins and losses, and the Continentals have done nothing but lose the past two seasons. It’s possible that Head Coach Dave Murray will try rolling the dice with Tobin if he does well enough in camp.

Bowdoin QB Tim Drakeley ’17

QB Tim Drakeley (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

Confidence: High

Confidence is high that Drakeley takes on an expanded role – we know, barring injury, that he will be starting. How good can he be is a wide open question. Don’t expect the junior to start flinging it around like the QBs for Middlebury and Tufts, but he throws a good ball and moves well enough in the pocket. It’s a new offense for Bowdoin this season, but they’ll still rely heavily on the run, so Drakeley just needs to be efficient for this offense to work.

WATCH: 2015 Football Storylines

Today we grace you with our beautiful mugs and some grade A insight on what to watch for this season. These are our top eight storylines of 2015, but there are an infinite number of intriguing nuggets to follow all season long, so surely there will be some big things that we don’t talk about here. Maybe if you’re lucky we’ll do another video. And sorry for the lack of production value. That was supposed to be Adam’s job but he was too busy sipping Bud Lights alone in the library.

No I Won’t Back Down: Bowdoin’s Trey Brown Returns from Injury

Running back Trey Brown entered Bowdoin as a freshman in the fall of 2012 eager to get onto the football field. He was planning on playing football and baseball, but his first love was always football. Brown was especially eager to play because his last season of high school football at Phillips Andover Academy ended way too abruptly. On his very first carry at Andover as a post-graduate student he tore his right ACL in a preseason scrimmage. The game meant nothing, and the injury knocked him out for the entire season and began an eight month rehabilitation. Despite the injury causing him to miss out on the chance to impress college coaches, Bowdoin recruited Brown to play running back.

Brown only heard about Bowdoin as a post-grad at Andover, a prep school that routinely sends kids to NESCAC schools. Brown went to high school in his hometown of Livingston, California, a small city two hours inland from the Bay Area. Far away from the traditional enclaves of East Coast recruiting, he didn’t register on the radars of NESCAC coaches, and it was a family friend who recommended he try the post-graduate year to boost his exposure. His story up to this point is far from unique. Many students take post-graduate years and end up at NESCAC schools. Brown was hoping to go to a a Division-II or NAIA school where he could get a scholarship, and he had never even heard of the NESCAC before coming to Andover. Tearing his ACL in the first half of a scrimmage erased those ideas of going to a big time football school. He became focused on finding a school that would be a good fit for both academics and athletics. His academic advisor at Andover was a Bowdoin graduate and was the first one to recommend Bowdoin to Brown.

Even though he barely played at Andover, the year at prep school was huge for Brown. He describes Andover as a small college, a rigorous and somewhat specialized place where he had to work harder than in high school. In Brown’s own words: “I don’t think I would have been able to excel here [Bowdoin] without Andover … the curriculum at Andover is hard so I was prepared for college.”

Without football at Andover, he spent the year concentrating on getting good enough grades to get into Bowdoin and making friends who came from places all over the world.

So that’s how Brown ended up in Brunwick, Maine, far away from the Central Valley of California. He was confident coming into his freshman year that he was healthy again. He went through all of the preseason and was primed for significant carries early on because of injuries to upperclassmen. Then it happened again.

On a first half carry, he tore his right ACL once again, ending his season and causing some soul searching.

“I was shook. Yeah I was ready to hang them up. I was ready to hang them up.”

Still wanting to feel a part of a community at a new school, Brown went to all of the football activities for a few weeks after his injury. “I went to the meetings for the first two or three weeks and then I couldn’t be around it,” Brown says. “I was acting like I was in the games but I was on the sidelines.” Even with the two ACL surgeries on the same knee, Brown decided to go through another rehabilitation process with the blessing of the Bowdoin training staff. He couldn’t picture himself not at least trying to play football if it was at all possible.

Although he was cleared to play at the beginning of his sophomore year, Brown did not feel completely healthy entering the season.

“I didn’t feel too confident to make hard cuts off of my [right knee] … I thought to myself, ‘I’m alright, I’m alright,’ but it was false confidence I think.”

Still, he made it through all of preseason camp again and entered the season as the primary backup. He played in four games and ran for 162 yards, including 73 in the third game against Tufts. It was his first time playing football in three years, but he never felt completely right. “It was forced, I tried to do too much.” He was overcompensating for his injury, and on his first carry against Hamilton in Week 4, a 16-yarder, he he felt his ACL tear again, this time in his left knee instead of his right one where the first two tears occurred.

The injury hit Brown extremely hard.

“I wasn’t depressed, but I was different. I was distraught.”

He once again thought about whether he could come back to play football. After both of his ACL injuries at Bowdoin, Brown leaned on a close group of friends who encouraged him to make the decision that he wanted. His roomates, who include players or former players like Greg Thompson ’16, Jibrail Coy ’16 (a player who himself has had to overcome two ACL injuries while at Bowdoin), and Skyler Lee ’16 encouraged Brown to come back if that’s what he wanted, even if the rehab would be long and difficult. Brown knows that he couldn’t have come back without them. He sees the football team as his family at Bowdoin.

His family at home, meanwhile, was much more ambivalent about him trying to continue playing football, arguing that he risked ending up in a wheelchair. His mom especially wanted him to stop playing, but Brown felt the risks are worth it payoff. He knows that studies have linked ACL injuries to arthritis, but he thinks at the end of the day “it’s all worth it.” This is a sentiment that you hear often from Division-III athletes. That all the time spent practicing and training for games that often go unnoticed is always ‘worth it.’ However, most athletes wouldn’t sing the same tune after three ACL tears. Brown does, and he’s started to formulate a plan for returning for his final year.

9fc5g1snrxngr5mf — Trey Brown (Photo Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

He worked last season for Bowdoin trainer Dan Davies, somebody with whom Brown has spent a lot of time. Last year he spent his time treating his own injuries, instead of being treated. Meanwhile, being around the football field all the time wasn’t always easy.

“There were times when I wanted to get on the field, but I knew I wasn’t ready. I still was thinking about playing all the time.”

The extra time off was necessary, and Brown was able to take solace in the fact that he would have that offseason to get ready for one last hurrah.

When last winter began, Brown was healthy for the first offseason ever at Bowdoin, and when I asked him what that was like, he just told me that it was “awesome” multiple times. He was in the weight room almost everyday, finally able to do everything with his teammates again. In the offseason, Brown met new coach JB Wells for the first time. The two quickly built a relationship as Wells leaned on the returning juniors who had not gone abroad. Then at the end of the spring semester in a somewhat unusual move, Wells made Brown and Matt Netto ’16 captains. The decision happened in part because all three elected captains were abroad that spring. Wells wanted to recognize Brown and Netto, two players who have been huge parts of the Bowdoin team in different ways. The moment struck Brown.

“I was in shock. I looked around to make sure it was true. It meant a lot to me.”

Despite not having played in 2014, Brown is a Bowdoin football captain.

So far this preseason, Brown has felt good and healthy as ever, but he knows he has to be more careful than ever. He is a physical, down-hill runner who takes a lot of hits, and even with all the advancements in surgery, he is more likely to tear his ACL now than ever before. Already he has been able to take and give some big hits. Wells will have to make sure not to overload the running back, but at the same time Wells is hoping that Brown can help starting running back Tyler Grant ’17 not get as worn down as last season.

For now, Brown isn’t too worried. He is happy to simply be back on the field, playing the sport that has given and taken so much from him. The journey to this point has been a long one, and he is grateful for where he is right now. The biggest lesson Brown has taken from this journey is simple.

“Perseverance is the big word for me, in every aspect: sports, academics, just life.”

When asked about his hopes and expectations for himself and the team this year, Brown paused and smiled.

“Just wait on it. That’s all I have to say.”

20 Stats from 2014 That You Need to Know

MIDDLEBURY, VT (October 17, 2009) - Aerial images of the campus of Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. (Photo © Brett Simison) — An aerial view of the Middlebury field. (Photo © Brett Simison)

The time has come, football season is finally upon us. FBS college teams begin games tonight, meaning we will get football non-stop for months now. While teams throughout the NESCAC have turned the page on the 2014 season, we want to take one last look at last year and tell you what stats will be crucial to know heading into the 2015 campaign.

17. No better place to start than the defending champs. The steel-curtain defense of the Amherst Lord Jeffs accrued a league leading 17 interceptions last season. Going into this year, three out of the four defensive backs will be returning as seniors – Jaymie Spears ’16, who led the league with six picks last year, Chris Gow ’16 and Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ’16. Look for this trio to continue to wreak havoc for opposing NESCAC quarterbacks this year.

2,004. While the DBs of Amherst held him to only 67 yards when they played each other last October, Middlebury quarterback Matt Milano ’16 was the only QB in the conference to throw for over 2000 yards in the 2014 season, amassing 2,004 yards through the air. The next closest was Wesleyan’s Jesse Warren ’15 with 1513.

1. On the other side of the spectrum, the Bowdoin offense had a lowly one passing touchdown in 2014. That touchdown went to fullback Jack Donovan ’15, meaning the Polar Bear wide receivers had zero receiving touchdowns all season. With the entrance of JB Wells as the new head coach of the Polar Bears, along with the change in personnel at the quarterback position with Tim Drakeley ’17, look for a drastic improvement from last year’s lowest-ranked offense.

74.6. The number of tackles per game for Tufts. While the Jumbos had the most tackles per game in the NESCAC, they also were the last-ranked team in terms of passing yards allowed (225.1 per game).

34. The Middlebury Panthers, who were among the league’s best offensively, hired a new offensive coordinator in Dave Caputi for 2015. After graduating from Middlebury himself in 1981, 34 years later he finds himself back as a member of Panther football.

33:38. Wesleyan’s lengthy time of possession per game last year, made possible by their second-ranked 18 first downs per game. They will again look to hold the rock for long periods with their talented running back duo of LaDarius Drew ’15 and Lou Stevens ’17.

16. The number of consecutive losses for Hamilton. Although it’s not quite as impressive as Tufts’ 31 straight which ended last year, second year head coach Dave Murray will rest much easier if that 16 doesn’t turn into 24 after this season.

61. Touches for Trinity RB/QB Spencer Aukamp ’18 last season. Expect that number to rise, but it’s unclear whether that will be via the run or passing game. Aukamp is a weapon and will see a lot of snaps for the Bantams, but they most likely won’t take place under center this season.

71.5. Receiving yards per game for Bates’ Mark Riley ’16, who led the league in this category as well as total receiving yards with 572. The Bobcats are also in the midst of a change at the quarterback position, so it’ll be interesting to see how the loss of Matt Cannone ’15 affects Riley’s 2015 numbers.

2. Straight years Williams has been below .500, an occurrence that had not happened for 15+ years.

533. Total yards for Colby RB Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17, who broke out his sophomore year as the Mules’ premiere back. Keeping an eye on Colby, it will be interesting to see how the ground load will be split for Hurdle-Price and fellow classmate Carl Lipani who, although he had fewer carries (37 compared to 131), averaged more yards per touch (4.9) than Hurdle-Price (4.1). Lipani is healthy again after missing the second half of the season.

23. Fourth down attempts were not rare for Middlebury, and they led the league converting 12 of their 23 tries. The next closest team was Bates with 12 attempts. Keep in mind the change at O-coordinator for the Panthers this season, and consider whether that might have an impact on their fourth down strategy.

226. Bowdoin running back Tyler Grant ’17 had his work cut out for him last year, carrying the ball 226 times, the most of any back in the league. In addition to having his number called early and often, he produced, leading the league in both yards (893) and yards per game (111.6). Don’t expect Bowdoin to lean quite so heavily on him this year.

54. That’s how many points top-ranked Wesleyan kicker Ike Fuchs ’17 had in 2014, who was good for 10 out of 13 field goals on the year. With the amount of time the Cardinal’s offense had possession of the football, coming away with points at the end was a big part of their game last season.

4. Number of sacks for Amherst’s 300-pound defensive tackle Paul Johnson ’17. With the graduation of defenders Chris Tamasi ’15 and Max Lehrman ’15, who had five and 4.5 sacks last year, respectively, the pass rushing load will depend even more on Johnson this season.

60. The number of solo tackles for Tufts’ sophomore defensive back Mike Stearns ’17, which put him at the top of the conference in that category. It is incredibly rare for a defensive back to led the league in tackles, and Stearns might shift from corner to safety this year.

3653. The top-ranked average amount of fans in attendance for Amherst. The real question is do championships help bring the fans, or do the fans help bring the championships? Either way, the Lord Jeffs will go into the 2015 season looking to capture their third consecutive conference championship.

299. Hamilton’s LaShawn Ware ’18, who, despite starting in only one game last season, led the Continentals in rushing yards with 299.

50%. Colby’s red-zone touchdown percentage, which was the worst in the NESCAC. Not only could the Mules not get the ball in the end-zone, but also they failed to kick any field goals from inside the 20 as well.

298. Days since the last NESCAC football game was played, only 24 more to go.

Top 10 Games of 2015

Bates vs. Bowdoin is always a battle to the end. (Courtesy of CIPhotography.com)

Every game matters in the NESCAC, but at the end of the day, some games matter just a little bit more. Here are the games that you have to pay attention to if you are a NESCAC fan.

10. November 11: Bowdoin at Bates

When these teams meet in Week 7, it is likely that NESCAC title hopes for both teams will be out the window, but the CBB title will likely be on the line. Bowdoin could be worn down by the previous two weeks vs. NESCAC heavyweights Trinity and Wesleyan while Bates will be coming off another Maine rivalry match-up vs. Colby. The CBB rivalry games always provide quality football and this game is likely to be the same.

9. October 24: Tufts at Williams

Last year, this game came down to the wire in Medford with the Jumbos stealing a huge win for the program, 27-20, but this year the game flips across the state to western Mass. and Williamstown. This is a pivotal game in the Ephs’ schedule if they want to get back to being an above .500 team. Tufts returns a strong nucleus of players and is likely to make noise yet again in the league.

8. October 17: Trinity at Tufts

Tufts finished last season at 4-4 but got blown out by every team they faced that finished ahead of them (Trinity, Amherst, and Middlebury). This is Tufts’ first shot in 2015 at one of the NESCAC heavyweights and will likely prove if Tufts can join the NESCAC title conversation. Luckily for the ‘Bos they don’t have to travel to the daunting Coop at Trinity this year.

7. September 26: Middlebury at Wesleyan

The 2015 season starts off with a bang as we get two major title contenders squaring off Week 1. Wesleyan appears to be hit hard by graduation losses but they do get RB LaDarius Drew ’15 back who was out with a foot injury all of 2014. Whichever team can come out victorious will have made their path to the NESCAC title significantly easier.

6. November 14: Middlebury at Tufts

It’s hard to say right now how this game will look in Week 8 but clearly this should be a tremendous game provided Tufts can build on the success it had last season. This is one of three huge games the final weekend that will most likely have a big impact on determining the league champion. Tufts looks to avenge an absolute slaughtering in last year’s finale that ended the great season for the Jumbos.

5. October 10: Middlebury at Amherst

This will be Amherst’s first real test of the 2015 season. We will already have seen the Panthers in a big time game Week 1 versus Wesleyan so we should know a lot about the team. A lot of questions about how the 2015 season should unfold will be revealed in this match-up, more so on the Amherst side. Gunslinger Matt Milano ’16 was completely shut down last year by the Lord Jeffs defense, but a torrential downpour didn’t help the Panthers’ aerial attack. Look for Midd to flip the script this year.

4. November 7: Trinity at Amherst

The difference in last year’s game was a missed PAT by the Bantams which allowed the Lord Jeffs to escape the Coop with a 7-6 win. This win last year clinched the NESCAC title for the Jeffs, and it could possibly again this year. But with the Bants reloading from what was a down year for them this game should be even better this year. Both teams have a very realistic shot at being 6-0 coming into this game so this could end up being a pseudo-NESCAC title game. Homefield advantage should play a crucial role for the Jeffs in this one.

3. November 14: Amherst at Williams

Doesn’t matter what the records of both these teams are, The Biggest Little in America game is always circled on the calendars. Per usual, the game will be televised on NESN, but this year it is scheduled for a 1 PM start unlike last year’s game under the lights. Anything can happen in a rivalry game like this, and no matter how good or bad either team has been all season up until this game, it will usually be a toss up. Amherst has won the last four games in the series and if this game wasn’t already big enough, it will be one of the Week 8 games that has a big impact on crowning a league champ. Both run games will be heavily relied on in this one with temps dropping fast at this point in the year in the Berkshires.

2. November 14: Wesleyan at Trinity

The Connecticut rivalry game has been very strong the past few years with both teams in the upper echelon of the NESCAC. Last year’s game came down to the wire with a failed two-point conversion by Trinity being the difference in the game allowing the Cards to hold onto the win, 20-19. Look for this year’s Week 8 match-up to provide the same excitement added by the possibility of this game being for the NESCAC title with Trinity looking to be stronger than last year. This game might not have the same hype as Williams-Amherst, but it looks to be just as good.

1. October 24: Wesleyan at Amherst

Last year this was the deciding game of the NESCAC Championship, and the Wesleyan Cardinals were 23 seconds away from being the champs had it not been for a game-tying 41-yd field goal by the Lord Jeffs. As we’ve said above, the Cards are going to be hit hard by graduation losses, but they still appear on paper to be one of the top teams in the league. In addition, Amherst loses their kicker, Phillip Nwosu ’14, which will be a tremendous loss as their special teams game will likely be weaker than in years past. If the game is close, the Amherst offense is going to have to drive deeper into Wesleyan territory to put points on the board. Whoever wins this game will likely be in the driver seat to win the championship.

Welcome to 2015

Amherst reigned at the end of last year, but 0 promises much uncertainty. — Amherst reigned at the end of last year, but 2015 promises much uncertainty. (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)

Eight games. The NESCAC football season lasts all of eight games. That is nothing. Eight games is half of an NFL season, at which point we usually think the Giants still have a shot at the playoffs and are also debating whether Tom Brady is no longer an ‘elite’ quarterback. Yet eight games is all we get in the NESCAC, for reasons that extend well off of the playing field. In an average NFL game, only 11 minutes of actual live action happens. So if that holds true for the NESCAC (there are reasons why the NESCAC might have slightly more time per game), a team has less than 100 minutes of actual live football in their entire season. All of the weight room sessions, preseason practices, positional meetings, late night calls by coaches to recruits around the country, and the countless hours of watching tape boil down to less live action than the length of your typical popcorn movie.

That of course is a very reductive way of looking at things, and it makes the amount of time and effort poured into NESCAC football by players, coaches, parents and fans seem silly. Not to mention what it says about us, the people who spend long hours writing about that 88 minutes of actual football. What the short season does mean is that every little thing matters, and things that might appear inconsequential can quickly become season-changing.

Take for example the rainstorm that befell northern Vermont on October 4, 2014, interferring with the Middlebury vs. Amherst game that afternoon. The headline from that game read something like this, “In a big rainstorm, Amherst escapes with win to remain perfect while the loss drops Middlebury to 1-2.” By the end of the season and with 20-20 hindsight, the headline could have read, “Rainstorm grounds Middlebury aerial attack and robs Panthers of share of the NESCAC title.” Scribes of the first title did not foresee that Middebury would end the season on a five-game winning streak that included snapping Trinity’s 51-home-game winning streak to end the season as the hottest team in the league. Amherst went on to finish the season undefeated and won another league title.

Turning to 2015, that same Middlebury team enters the season as (spoiler alert!) our favorite to climb all the way to the top and capture the league title and complete their first undefeated season since 1972. Not that there aren’t questions around the roster. The biggest one is at the quarterback spot where normally one would presume Matt Milano ’16 would remain the signal-caller after a spectacular finish to his first season as a starter. However, the arrival of transfer Jared Lebowitz ’17 from UNLV means Milano is not guaranteed that starting spot. One should still consider Milano the favorite given that he is entrenched as the starter currently. That Middlebury has the most enviable quarterback situation in the league only two seasons removed from Mac Foote ’14, one of the greatest NESCAC quarterbacks ever, is ridiculous. The offensive line has to replace all three interior starters, and the defense lost some valuable contributors. Yet the core of that defensive unit returns in defensive end Jake Clapp ’16, middle linebacker Tim Patricia ’16, and safety Dan Pierce ’16.

The main competition for Middlebury should be the reigning champs, Amherst. The Lord Jeffs have made it a habit of making prognosticators look silly by continually exceeding already high expectations, so I don’t feel comfortable putting Amherst anywhere besides the favorite. The Jeffs have to replace their linebacker duo of Chris Tamasi ’15 and Ned Deane ’15 that led their defense, as well as three offensive lineman and quarterback Max Lippe ’15 who provided a huge spark for the offense last year. Having skill players like running back Nick Kelly ’17 and receiver Jackson McGonagle ’16 around should make things easier, and a straight-up filthy secondary will make throwing the ball a dangerous proposition (look out, Midd). Amherst always plays its backups a decent amount so all the new starters have game experience.

The Connecticut teams, Wesleyan and Trinity, have to answer questions about whether they should still be considered in the elite echelon of the NESCAC. Wesleyan transitions to new Head Coach Dan DiCenzo, though the transition is not a hard one as DiCenzo was the Defensive Coordinator for former HC Mike Whalen. The real transition is on the field where the Cardinals lost more significant contributors than it is possible to count. Having running back LaDarius Drew ’15 return after an injury knocked him out of all of last year will be a huge help, but running back was the only position where the Cards returned any depth. In Hartford, Trinity lost an unfathomable three games and saw that home winning streak turn into a two-game losing streak. The return of several skill players like Sonny Puzzo ’17 after a year away from Trinity will be critical to getting the Bantams back on top of the NESCAC. The defense lost seven starters and will need the back seven to improve mightily by the time the heavy weights at the back end of the schedule come around.

The return of a healthy LaDarius Drew buoys Wesleyan's optimism. Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics) — The return of a healthy LaDarius Drew ’15 buoys Wesleyan’s optimism. (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)

Those four represent the teams with a realistic shot at the NESCAC title, but the other six teams have plenty to be excited about. Multiple NESCAC Head Coaches have said they believe the bottom of the league is stronger than it has ever been. The team that for a long time represented that basement, Tufts, will look to reprise whatever alchemy made them go 4-0 at home last year. Alex Snyder ’17 looks to be the new starting quarterback, though he could be pushed by Dartmouth transfer Jonathan DiBiaso ’17. The Jumbos can also get their first road win in forever opening week at Hamilton, but the Continentals will fight hard trying to get second year coach Dave Murray his first win at the helm. Hamilton has almost every starter returning as the program hopes to make strides in Central New York.

Williams was the biggest disappointment a year ago, and a season without clear improvement will make the rumblings for a coaching change in Willy World harder to ignore. The hopes of the Ephs hinge largely on a big season from quarterback Austin Lommen ’16 and a talented and big group of receivers. On defense, defensive end James Howe ’16 has to regain his 2013 form and get some help from those around him.

Finally, the CBB (Colby, Bowdoin, and Bates) appears to be wide open. Bates has been ascendant in the series and has controlled the crown for the past three seasons, but they lose quarterback Matt Cannone ’15 and eight of their starters from a very good defense. Receiver Mark Riley ’16 and linebacker Mark Upton ’17 have to be leaders, and the replacements have to grow up fast on defense. Colby will want to take the pressure off of quarterback Gabe Harrington ’17 by relying on the two-headed attack of running backs Carl Lipani ’17 and Jabari Hurdle-Price ’17. Bowdoin enters a new era with Head Coach JB Wells coming from Endicott College. Wells will have to find other options on offense besides workhorse running back Tyler Grant ’17.

As excited as we are to watch some DIVISION III FOOTBALL!, we have the same level of excitement about the group of writers we have for this fall. We have six people who are some of the most knowledgeable people about the league as a whole. With that being said, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still looking for more. If you are interested in writing, or know someone who might be, or would like to help out in other ways – web design, graphic design, Tweeting games, reporting games, etc. – email us at nothingbutnescac@gmail.com. We are constantly striving to improve our coverage, so if you have any suggestions or article ideas that we should do, please email us also.

Looking forward to a great year – Adam Lamont (Bowdoin ’16) and Joe MacDonald (Middlebury ’16)

‘Cac on the Farm: NESCAC Baseball Players in the Minor Leagues

Editors Note: Filling the void of Trinity baseball writers for the blog left by graduated Carson Kenney ’15 and Sean Meekins ’15 is Nick Di Benedetto ’17.

This year the NESCAC had three baseball players drafted in the Major League Baseball Amateur Players Draft. Amherst’s Mike Odenwaelder ’16 was the first NESCAC player drafted in the 16th round. The other two draftees are Wesleyan’s Donnie Cimino ’15, the Cubs 37th round pick, and Amherst graduate Robert Lucido, the Blue Jays 40th round pick.The road to the show is nothing easy, and the lower you are drafted the tougher it is to show your true potential. Typically Major League farm systems chew up and spit out the low draft picks because they invest their big time money in the top picks.

Odenwaelder was drafted high enough to where he is going to get good opportunities to showcase his talent. He was the 493rd overall pick, and the Baltimore Orioles 16th round pick. Already he has played in 34 games for the Aberdeen Ironbirds, which is the Orioles Single A Short Season affiliate team. Odenwaelder is batting .220, and for a guy just drafted over a month ago, he is settling into the minors fine. When talking with Odenwaelder, he was thrilled to be playing with the Orioles and is very content playing in Aberdeen, which has top notch facilities. He is living large at the moment especially considering he did not plan on even playing college baseball.

During High School at Wamogo in Litchfield, Connecticut, Odenwaelder was pursuing his dream of being a college basketball player. He was greatly influenced by his high school basketball coach, Gregg Hunt, who passed away during his college basketball recruiting process. Odenwaelder, the 2nd best player in Wamogo basketball history, turned to baseball to cope with losing a coach so close to him. He ended up doing a post-graduate year at Canterbury School in Milford, Connecticut to follow his love for baseball. He became a three sport All-State athlete during his post-grad year which gave him an opportunity to be recruited for baseball. Odenwaelder was committed to play at UConn Avery-Point, but a roster spot opened up for him at Amherst a few months before his freshman fall.

Prior to the 2015 draft, the past ten years have produced six NESCAC draftees, five of whom came from Trinity College. Only one of those draftees is still playing: Kevin Heller from Amherst who was picked in 2012. On record there are only four NESCAC players who have made it to the show, all of whom were pitchers. The numbers are sparse so it is unfair to think Odenwaelder is incapable of making it to the big leagues due to the fact that he is a position player. He would be the first NESCAC position player to ever play in the Major Leagues, but he would certainly not be the first 16th rounder. There have been plenty of players picked that late who made it to the big leagues, such as James Shields and Mike Napoli.

Odenwaelder was the second of eleven Division III baseball players drafted this year. He was also drafted as a junior, which is rare in Division III baseball. Had he not hurt his shoulder during his sophomore season, Odenwaelder likely would have been drafted as a pitcher. When asked about his decision to leave college to play professionally, Odenwaelder said, “I just wanted to pursue my dream, and if I had a chance of making it to the bigs, I was going to have to leave this year.” Being a 16th round pick means he is getting some decent money to play, but it is not life-changing money. Had he stuck around another season it is possible he could have raised his draft stock, but it is also possible he could have hurt it as he would have been 23 years old by the time of the 2016 draft. By signing with the Orioles he is now absorbed in a complete baseball atmosphere. Odenwaelder gets the opportunity to play everyday for the rest of the 2015 season, facing great competition and improving more than he would have at Amherst. Instead of it just being a sport, it is now his job and most athletes’ fantasy. “I’m getting a paycheck to do what I love […] it’s a dream come true really”.

Odenwaelder is the highest NESCAC draft pick since Trinity College Pitcher Jonah Bayliss, the Royals 7th round draft pick in 2002, who made his Major League debut in 2005. He went on to pitch in the Majors for three consecutive seasons. Odenwaelder seems to have the tools to make a run for it at the next level. He has what it takes on defense as he was named to the NCAA Division III Gold Glove Team. Beyond multiple NESCAC honors, he was named to the D3Baseball.com All-American team and First Team All-New England.

In his three years at Amherst, he put up consistently great numbers. In a total of 118 games he had a career batting avg. of .372 with 16 homers, 86 RBI, and 39 stolen bases in what many are calling the “dead bat era” of college baseball. His most promising season was his sophomore year where he hit .400 with 6 HRs and 31 RBI, posting a whopping Slugging Percentage of .607. On the mound he had a career ERA of 2.55 in 24.2 innings pitched.

While Odenwaelder is busy working, he understands the importance an Amherst degree can have once baseball is over. He is dead-set on getting his degree from Amherst. He is either planning on going back for the next two Fall semesters, or just taking care of his senior year when his baseball career is over.

Wesleyan superstar Donnie Cimino was the Cubs 37th round pick. This spring he led the Cardinals to another NESCAC title, batting .399 with 3 homeruns. In his four years at Wesleyan in 645 at bats, he batted .373 with a .465 slugging percentage. He holds the record for Wesleyan’s most hits in a season with 69 and most career hits with 240. So far the minors have been a struggle for him as he is getting an opportunity to play only every few days or so. Cimino is batting just .163 in the Arizona Rookie League. The Cubs have moved him from center to left field for most of his starts. His regimen in rookie ball consists of a lot of training, much like that of a spring training player, so he is learning a lot. Hopefully he is able to make some adjustments and excel in the Cubs farm system.

Before his days of flying around the diamond as a Wesleyan Cardinal, Cimino was a star on the gridiron at Westwood High School in New Jersey. His eyes were set on playing college football, which is how Wesleyan landed the stud baseball player. Cimino, who claims he was a “late bloomer”, didn’t gain much prowess on the baseball field until his senior year of high school when he really filled out, but by that time it was the spring and most of the recruiting was done. He considered doing a post-graduate year to push for a Division I opportunity, but decided to stick it out and get a good education and play two sports at Wesleyan. The Wesleyan baseball program was very fortunate to have him knocking on their door to be a walk-on his freshman year. The Don, as he is informally known, started every game in his four year tenure with the Cardinals.

The third NESCAC player drafted was Amherst’s Robert Lucido, who was cut by the Lord Jeffs during his sophomore season. Despite not playing for the Jeffs anymore, Lucido landed a spot in the Call Ripken League, a collegiate summer baseball league. He was able to earn a workout with the Blue Jays, where he did well enough to be drafted in the 40th and final round of this year’s draft. He is playing in the Gulf Coast Rookie League in Florida hitting .153 with a .313 on base percentage. He gets an opportunity to play just once every 7 or so games. In all likelihood his minor league career will last maybe a year or two, but it is possible he continues to overcome his long odds. Furthermore his ability to get into professional baseball opens up many avenues for him within the sport, and he could see a career in baseball off of the field. Teams sometimes use low draft picks on players who could potentially work in the front office, where multiple NESCAC alumni are scattered throughout. Three current MLB General Managers are graduates of Amherst. In the front office for the Boston Red Sox, former Trinity Bantam Psi U brother, baseball and football player Sam Kennedy will take over the job as President at the end of the season.

The NESCAC’s three MLB Draftees blew every other Division III conference out of the water. In addition, Wesleyan Pitcher Gavin Pittore (’16) signed on as a free agent last week with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Also, there have been two players that signed independent league contracts; Joe Jensen ’15,Hamilton’s star outfielder, signed with the Southern Illinois Miners in the Frontier League, and Nick Cooney ’15, one of Wesleyan’s aces, signed a contract with the Fargo-Moorehead Redhawks in North Dakota.

The odds are very much against minor leaguers making it to the majors. Even if they can’t make things work on the playing field, all NESCAC baseball players have a great education which allows them to venture off into different avenues of baseball. NESCAC graduates, and other Division 3 graduates are all over front offices, and coming from a small school is not a disadvantage at all. Though most players don’t make it, there are the few fortunate ones that make it to the Show. For Odenwaelder, Cimino, and Lucido, even if they never make it to the major leagues, they won’t consider their professional baseball careers a failure, but rather a great experience and opportunity.

Making it Big: Gavin Pittore Signs with the Dodgers

gpittorepitchvsamh050915 — Gavin Pittore has gone from Wesleyan to the pros in short succession. (Courtesy of Wesleyan University)

Hey kids, do you want to become a professional baseball player? Joining a NESCAC baseball team is the way to go given recent events. Wesleyan pitcher Gavin Pittore ’16 just signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the fourth NESCAC player to be either drafted or signed by an MLB team this year. Next week we will have an in-depth feature on the progress of those NESCAC players who have already begun playing professional baseball, but for now let’s look at Pittore and how he ended up receiving a $105,500 signing bonus.

If we back up 18 months, the idea of Pittore signing with a major league team was laughable. Entering his sophomore year he was fighting to get a spot in the rotation, but he was blocked by more established starters. Given that he had a 3.21 ERA and had allowed 18 walks in 28 innings as a freshman, he didn’t scream breakout candidate. Through his first four outings in 2014 Pittore had a 8.73 ERA over 11.1 IP, but he still started the conference season in the weekend rotation. From that point on Pittore was an absolute horse for the Cardinals. Over his last 114 innings in a Wesleyan uniform, Pittore had a 1.45 ERA and struck out 119 batters vs. only 31 walks.

Even though he emerged as a stud for the Cardinals, his performance at Wesleyan didn’t necessarily signal a professional future. Pittore never made the All-NESCAC First Team, and he had only one appearance on the All-NESCAC Second Team this year. (Brief tangent. The All-NESCAC teams have a combined five pitchers on them vs. 19 position players. How does that make sense? Give pitchers more spots; they deserve them.)After all, it was fellow Cardinal Sam Elias ’15, and not Pittore, who took home Pitcher of the Year honors in the NESCAC this season. Given the success that Elias and Nick Cooney ’15 also had pitching at Wesleyan in the past two years, it is hard to extricate how much of Pittore’s low ERA came courtesy of the elite defense behind him.

Not until this summer did Pittore really break onto the radar of scouts. Last summer he spent the entire season with the Harwich Mariners but pitched only sparingly. He showed up at the open Cape League tryout this year hoping for the best and got a temporary contract with the Bourne Braves. The rest, as they say, is history. After pitching almost exclusively as a starter at Wesleyan, Pittore became a reliever for the Braves and immediately flourished in the role. In 17 innings, he did not allow a single earned run and had 17 strikeouts in those innings. At the All-Star game in front of a multitude of scouts, Pittore flashed a 92-94 MPH fastball, impressing all in attendance. Do not underestimate the role of that All-Star game in him signing either. As far back as mid-June Pittore started talking to teams about potentially signing and foregoing his final year at Wesleyan, but Pittore says that only in the past week did he begin to talk to the Dodgers specifically.

11713868_1034507906582587_7124133694132784246_o — Gavin Pittore pitching this summer on the Cape League. (Courtesy of the Bourne Braves)

In order to get him to leave Wesleyan, the Dodgers offered him that big bonus. The bonus is important given the low salaries for minor league players, but Pittore has someone to lean on for advice: former teammate Donnie Cimino ’15 who was drafted in the June draft. The two have talked regularly about Cimino’s experiences in the minor leagues, and Cimino has been able to offer advice. Though he is hardly a veteran since he was drafted in June, seeing Cimino adapt to the minor leagues told Pittore he could also make the jump. Yet in the end Pittore says that Cimino didn’t influence his decision. Pittore is still trying to figure out how exactly he will get his Wesleyan degree, but he is hoping to do it over two fall semesters as soon as possible.

Even though last summer was not a great one for him statistically, Pittore attributes a lot of his success to his time on the Mariners. “Being around such advanced baseball guys like Cape guys is huge for development and I think that’s what did it for me.” He was able to learn a lot about how to be a be a better pitcher from his teammates and coaches instead of just throwing the ball hard . Of course, spending all that time concentrating on baseball also helped his velocity. After sitting at 90 MPH for a long time, Pittore now throws consistently in the low to mid 90s. At 6’3″ and 200 pounds, he has the frame to throw in the mid 90s once he spends some more time on a professional level weight lifting program. He has also reworked his wind-up so that he now turns his body to the side more which hides the ball from the batter longer. That deception may be even more important than the few MPH he has added. While the fastball is his best pitch right now, Pittore will have to work on having one knockout secondary pitch also if he wants to be able to progress through the minors as a reliever.

Just quickly keep in mind also the role of geography in this story. Being from Massachusetts allowed Pittore to attend the league tryouts in 2014 and 2015. He could sign a 10 day contract knowing he would be able to land in another New England summer league if things didn’t work out. If Pittore is from say Oklahoma, it is unlikely he ever pitches in the Cape League. And without that exposure, there is no way that he signs with a major league team. That isn’t to denigrate his accomplishments, but rather is an acknowledgment of all the factors that came together to make it possible

While this obviously is not the central focus at the moment, Pittore leaving is devastating for the back-to-back NESCAC champions Wesleyan. All three of their weekend starters from 2015 (Pittore, Cooney, and Elias) are no longer on the roster, and the only remaining pitcher with significant experience is Peter Rantz ’16. Behind Rantz, no pitcher threw 25 innings last season so the Cardinals will need to rely on someone like Ethan Rode ’17 making a massive jump in 2016. The lineup loses top performers like Cimino and Andrew Yin ’15. A three-peat will require a lot to go right in Middletown.

For Pittore, NESCAC baseball is in the past as he makes the jump to the pros. He is done pitching on the Cape too and will leave Monday to go to Arizona for a physical with the Dodgers. He might try to meet up with Cimino who is playing for the Cubs affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League. Beyond that, Pittore is still unsure of where the Dodgers will place him in the minors. The road to the majors, or even the high minor leagues, is not an easy one. Most don’t make it, but given that Pittore is still improving, it is impossible to write him off. Nobody saw him being in this position a few months ago. Congrats to Gavin and we wish him the best.

NESCAC Stars Summer Baseball Update

We have been quiet this summer, busy with other endeavors and soaking up the sun. However, many NESCAC baseball players have spent the summer playing ball, often in the highly competitive collegiate leagues that feature Division One players and future high draft picks. Overall we found less NESCAC players in top-tier leagues this summer, but the numbers tend to fluctuate year-to-year. We focus on the New England summer leagues here, but leave a comment about any other players we missed and we will make sure to give them recognition.

Cape Cod League

Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics — Gavin Pittore ’16

Bourne Braves Pitcher Gavin Pittore ’16 (Wesleyan): The only player from the NESCAC on a Cape League team at this stage of July, no NESCAC player has had a better summer than Pittore. After finishing the NESCAC season with a 1.53 ERA, Pittore has carried over his success to the Cape League which is widely considered the best summer league in the country and is littered with future MLB first round draft picks. A year ago he spent the season on the Harwich Mariners but pitched sparingly. This summer he has become a vital part of the Braves bullpen with 10 appearances so far. Incredibly Pittore is yet to allow an earned run over 14.2 IP. He has struck out 17 batters and has a WHIP of 0.75. That success has rocketed Pittore into prominence among scouts so much so that even though he didn’t get drafted last month, he might sign with an MLB team soon and forego his senior year at Wesleyan.

Dream Chasing: Gavin Pittore (@GavinFever13 ) Proves He Belongs in Bourne http://t.co/90AXSJIzHV pic.twitter.com/blWlmu1fp6

— Bourne Braves (@BourneBraves) July 13, 2015

New England Collegiate Baseball League

Valley Blue Sox Pitcher Connor Colombo ’16 (Bates): This spring was a breakout campaign for the tall Bates right-hander, and Colombo has proven that his performance wasn’t a fluke with solid pitching this summer. In 24.2 IP, he owns a 3.28 ERA in what is considered by many the second-best college baseball summer leageu. Colombo has acted as both a starter and long reliever in his six appearances, and he has a 1-1 record. Though he has only struck out 11 batters, Colombo has done a good job of keeping the ball in the park and not allowing too many hard hit balls. He also is the only player in the NESCAC who has managed to stick on an NECBL team this summer which is a much lower number than in past years.

Futures League

Seacoast Mavericks Outfielder Ryder Arsenault ’17 (Colby): After another successful spring for the Mules, Arsenault has received extensive playing time for the Mavericks. However, this has been a difficult summer for Arsenault who now sits well below the Mendoza line with a .183 batting average. A recent slump has really torpedoed his statistics as he was hitting a much more respectable .250 on June 24. Still, Arsenault has been able to see a lot of pitches at a high level of baseball, and it is also possible that he is dealing with an injury since he has not stolen one base after snagging 20 this past spring.

North Shore Navigators Pitchers Speros Varinos ’17 (Tufts), Tim Superko ’17 (Tufts), and Rob DiFranco ’16 (Bates): We do a three-for-one for a Navigators staff that relies heavily on all three NESCAC pitchers. Relievers Varinos and DiFranco are first and third on the team in ERA with a 1.74 and 2.18 respectively. Starter Superko has started six games and owns a sporty 2.57 ERA. DiFranco started the season in the Cape League, but he has returned to the Navigators for his third season there where he has bounced back from a subpar conference season this spring. Varinos has not had an opportunity to get much shine behind all the other stars for Tufts, but he has been excellent this summer coming out of the bullpen and earned a spot on the Futures League All-Star team. Finally, Superko has looked good as a starter. One concern for Superko is that his walk rate is still way to high. He has a whopping 24 walks in only 28 innings.

North Shore Navigators First Baseman Chad Martin ’16 (Bowdoin): Martin has been pretty much the same player he was this spring but with less power. He has benefited from playing every day as he leads the Navigators in at bats with 148, more than he had all spring. Hitting in the middle of the lineup has provided Martin plenty of opportunities to drive runs in and he is second on the team with 23 RBIs while batting .291. Martin has been especially hot lately with multiple hits in his four of his last five games and at least one hit in eight of his last nine.

Brockton Rox Pitcher Andrew David ’16 (Tufts) and Martha’s Vineyard Sharks Zach Brown ’18 (Tufts): Both of these Tufts pitchers are going to be at the All-Star game tonight (it’s in Lynn if anyone is interested!) along with Varinos meaning the Jumbos have a full triumvirate on the squad. For David, this summer has been a continuation of a bounce back spring for him in the NESCAC. The key has been a newfound ability to strike guys out, and he has 25 Ks in 31 innings to propel him to a 2.32 ERA. Brown is having a sensational summer as a starter after being a reliever for most of the spring. He has started six games, his only appearances, and has a sparkling 1.74 ERA. Brown is in the same mold of Superko as a guy who gets a lot of strikeouts but also walks a lot of guys. If he can carry over his pitching from this summer into the rotation next spring, the Jumbos will have a top three of him, David and Superko which is pretty formidable especially given all the pitching Tufts has lost in the last two years.

Martha’s Vineyard Sharks Soren Hanson ’16 (Colby): By chance I saw Hanson pitch last Thursday against the Nashua Silver Knights. He went 6.2 innings and allowed only one run, though he did not collect the win. Hanson relied heavily on his curveball, throwing it early in counts to get called strikes and not just swings and misses. The start brought his overall ERA to 3.43, the lowest it has been since after his first start of the season. Hanson has not been hitting at all this season unlike he did for Colby, leaving that instead for his teammates and fellow NESCAC players Wesleyan shortstop Guy Davidson ’16 and Jack Roberts ’17. In fact, along with Williams catcher and Nothing But NESCAC contributor Adam Dulsky ’18, the Sharks have four NESCAC players on the roster. Hey, you can’t call NESCAC players stupid. Who wouldn’t want to spend the summer on Martha’s Vineyard playing baseball?

NbN 2014-15 Year-End Wrap Up

We’ve come to that time of the year folks, the time when the weather turns and NESCAC students are shifting their concerns from final exams to brand new internships or careers – an exciting time for most students – but one that is bitter sweet for college seniors who must say good bye to the comforts of their college dorm rooms and face the cruel, hard world out there. This time is especially difficult for the droves of college athletes (and let’s face it, this pertains to 99 percent of NESCAC athletes) who are regretfully retiring from competitive athletics.

In honor of the great efforts and performances that happened around the league almost every day this academic year, we’ve compiled our five (plus one bonus) favorite moments from the NESCAC football, men’s basketball and baseball seasons. And before we jump in, we just want to say a GIGANTIC thank you to all of the student-athletes for their hard work, and to all of you, our readers, be you students, parents, classmates, coaches, distant relatives or New England D-III athletic celebrity stalkers, for loyally coming back to Nothing but NESCAC. As most of you know, Adam and I started this blog a little over a year ago, and we’ve had some great writers contribute to the page over that time. We’re not making any money – trust me – and we we don’t do this because it will pad our resumes (though it’s not a bad bullet point). We’re just huge sports fans, and we love talking and writing about sports. We love it when we hear that Nothing but NESCAC is being read around the league. Personally, one of the moments from this past year that sticks out greatest for me – and this includes everything I did while on a semester abroad, in the classroom or on the baseball field – was when Jake Brown ’17 told me, face-to-face, that I made a mistake in leaving him out of my NESCAC Point Guard Power Rankings back in February. I loved that. And as Jake knows, and hopefully the rest of the kids we write about understand, we’re not professionals. We’re just doing the best we can. But most of all, we hope you get some enjoyment out of reading what we post here, because we sure have a good time putting it up.

Here are our favorite moments of the past year, in no particular order:

1. FOOT: Middlebury 27, Trinity 7, October 25 at Trinity

Middlebury brought Trinity's streak to a crashing end. Courtesy of Greg Sullivan (http://www.sevenstrong.net/TrinityFootball) — Middlebury brought Trinity’s streak to a crashing end. Courtesy of Greg Sullivan (http://www.sevenstrong.net/TrinityFootball)

In case you hadn’t heard, Trinity was supposed to be unbeatable in Hartford. The Bants had not lost at home since September 29, 2001 – 53 straight games – and Trinity came into the matchup at 5-0 while Middlebury was 3-2. At that point in the season fans were just starting to believe that Matt Milano ’16 was a bona fide star in this league. With his four touchdown performance in a rout of the favored Bantams, Milano convinced any remaining doubters.

2. BASK: Wesleyan Wins Its First NESCAC Basketball Championship as the Sixth Seed, March 1 in Hartford, CT

Joe Reilly and the Cardinals celebrated their NESCAC title in classic fashion - but they're not done yet. (Courtesy of Wesleyan Connection) — Joe Reilly and the Cardinals celebrated their NESCAC title in classic fashion. (Courtesy of Wesleyan Connection)

The Cardinals squeaked into the playoffs by winning their final two NESCAC regular season games and finishing at 5-5 in the conference. Next, all that Wesleyan had to do was go on the road to Bates, into the toughest home gym in the NESCAC, and beat an NCAA Tournament team in the Bobcats, then go to the home of in-state rival Trinity and hang onto a three-point victory to topple the hosts – also an NCAA Tournament team – and THEN go to OT against three-time defending champion Amherst. There, an inexperienced Wesleyan team took down the heralded Lord Jeffs. Quite a turnaround for a program that was sub-.500 the past two years.

3. BASE: Wesleyan 4, Amherst 3 in the 12-Inning, Winner-Takes-All NESCAC Championship Game, May 10 in Nashua, NH

Wesleyan baseball celebrated its second-straight NESCAC title this season. (Courtesy of NESCAC Athletics)

After losing four straight to the Cardinals, Amherst finally beat Wesleyan 3-1 in the first game of the day to set up the climactic final game. At this point, both teams were on their last legs in terms of pitching. Through 6.1 innings Wesleyan was up 2-0 behind great pitching from Peter Rantz ’16. Then two homers from Mike Odenwaelder ’16 and Sam Ellinwood ’18 put Amherst up 3-2, but Andrew Yin’s ’15 third double of the day brought around Ellis Schaefer ’17 for the tying run in the 9th. Nick Cooney ’15 worked around two straight bases loaded jams in the 9th and 10th inning. That set the stage for Guy Davidson ’16 to recognize that Odenwaelder was pitching for the first time all year. Davidson sat on a first pitch fastball, drove it out to left, and the Ethan Rode ’17 closed things out to give Wesleyan their second straight NESCAC title.

4. BASK: Trinity 79, Bates 62 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, March 13 in Babson Park, MA

Ed Ogundeko '17 and Mike Newton '16 left everything they had on the court on this night, but Trinity prevailed over the Bobcats. (Courtesy of Mark Box/Babson College) — Shay Ajayi ’16 and Mike Newton ’16 left everything they had on the court on this night, but Trinity prevailed over the Bobcats. (Courtesy of Mark Box/Babson College)

For contemporary fans of NESCAC men’s basketball, it’s not totally unusual to see a couple of NESCAC squads duke it out in the NCAA tournament (read: Amherst vs. Williams), but Trinity hadn’t been to the Big Dance since 2008, and Bates had never played in the D-III NCAA Tournament. And for those two to meet as late as the Elite Eight? Wow. The game was everything we hoped for for about 13 minutes – then Trinity went on an 11-3 run before the half and extended their lead after the break to finish off the Bobcats fairly easily. Nevertheless, a special moment for all NESCAC men’s basketball fans.

5. FOOT: Amherst 33, Wesleyan 30 in OT in the de facto NESCAC Championship Game, October 18 at Wesleyan

Phillip Nwosu '15 has been one of the NESCAC's best over the past four years, and he cemented his legacy with a game-winner against Wesleyan. (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics) — Phillip Nwosu ’15 has been one of the NESCAC’s best over the past four years, and he cemented his legacy with a game-winner against Wesleyan. (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)

We didn’t realize it then, but this game decided the NESCAC championship, and it was a game more than worthy of its weight. In very wet conditions, these two teams went back and forth with neither team ever leading by more than a touchdown. The kicking game ended up being the difference. With Wesleyan up by three and under two minutes remaining, QB/P Jesse Warren ’15 botched a punt that went only 12 yards and set up Amherst at the Cardinal 49. Max Lippe ’15 completed a crucial 4th and 3 to Gene Garay ’15 to get the Jeffs in range for Phillip Nwosu ’15 to hit the game-tying field goal from 41 yards out. In overtime, the Amherst defense stuffed Wesleyan on 4th and 1, and Nwosu nailed the game winner from 35 yards out to give Amherst the stunning win. The Jeffs needed a missed Trinity 23 yard field goal to hold on and win two weeks later to keep their undefeated season alive. As the venerable Lee Corso always says, “this one is gonna come down to special teams.”

Caution, highlights below are not in the correct order.

BONUS. BASE: Tufts 3, Middlebury 2 on a Blown Call, May 3 at Tufts

Before you roll your eyes and close the tab, I’m not complaining about this loss, I just wanted to call attention to what might have been the most dramatic baseball game of the NESCAC regular season that went totally unnoticed.

Full disclosure, in case you didn’t know, I play for the Middlebury baseball team, so of course this is a bit of self-interest involved here, but hear me out. This game went to show that anyone can beat anyone in the game of baseball on any given day (even though Middlebury didn’t actually win), and that is especially true in the NESCAC, which is what makes this league so great. Tufts threw Tim Superko ’17, the team’s de facto ace after Kyle Slinger ’15 suffered the unluckiest season in NESCAC history, who did a very nice job, but Eric Truss ’15 matched him pitch-for-pitch.

Obviously, Tufts was the better ball club this year. Just look at the records. But it felt like a scene from a movie all day as the underdog Panthers clawed back from a first-inning deficit to go up 2-1 in the fifth, and for the Middlebury team there was hope of ending an abysmal season on the highest note possible. The drama mounted over six and a half innings and finally climaxed in the bottom of the seventh. Leading up to this game, Truss, a typical workhorse, started three games in an eight-day span from April 21-28, throwing 18.0 innings – and 245 pitches – before heading back to the bump on May 3 against Tufts. Truss struck out Tom Petry ’17 to get the first out of the seventh inning, but on that pitch, Truss’ 93rd of the game and 338th in the past two weeks, Truss partially tore the UCL in his pitching elbow, unbeknownst to all but the hurler. Miraculously, Will Glazier ’15 flew out to left field for the second out of the inning, but then the magic came to an end for Middlebury. A HBP, two roped singles and an IBB loaded the bases with the score tied and two outs.

The next at-bat was truly Hollywood-worthy. On a 1-0 count, Tufts SS Matt Moser ’16 hit a sharp two-hopper to the left of the Middlebury third baseman – yours truly. With the the subsequent throw apparently beating Moser to first, the Middlebury team took one step back towards the dugout to prepare for extra innings. Then the first base umpire signalled safe, and the ensuing scene was truly chaotic. Some choice words were used, tempers flared, and a stunned Tufts squad mauled Moser in celebration. Win or lose, it was an incredibly-played ball game. However, to describe just how wild of an ending it was, take a look at this still frame from the Tufts broadcast, on the play where Moser was called safe:

The final play of Tufts' 3-2 victory over the Panthers on May 3. — The final play of Tufts’ 3-2 victory over the Panthers on May 3.

I’m not including this to whine about losing. Who knows what would have happened if the game went to extra innings. I just wanted to include what was for me, personally, the most exciting game that I was a part of all season, and among the most exciting games of my long baseball career, one that truly had one of those You-Couldn’t-Script-This-Any-Better endings. These are the types of games that make us love sports, and especially sports in the NESCAC.

That does it for our 2014-15 NESCAC coverage. Articles may be sparing over the summer months, as we focus our efforts on rebuilding our site a little bit, but stay tuned on Twitter (@CACSportsBlog) and on Facebook for news about NESCAC athletes and Nothing but NESCAC itself. Thanks again to all of our loyal readers, and good luck to all NESCAC athletes this summer!