Trinity – Page 14 – Nothing But NESCAC

Make or Break in Week Two: NESCAC Baseball Weekend Preview

NESCAC baseball is full steam ahead, despite what this weather is telling us. This past weekend we got to smell the sweet fresh cut grass, the ear ringing BBCOR aluminum bats, and baseballs snapping leather. NESCAC baseball, as always, is giving us upset alerts. Tufts, the most dominant team in 2017, has already dropped two conference games, just one off of last season’s total. On the filp side, as expected, Amherst is off to a hot start. Most teams, however, are in the middle of the pack only a week in. This second weekend is crucial for those teams who want to distance themselves from average. Here’s the weekend preview:

Bowdoin @ Trinity:

I wrote to the NESCAC universe in my season preview that Trinity is a team to take very seriously. I said that they potentially figured out how to optimize their pitching. Taking two out of three games over Tufts isn’t just good; it’s remarkable. Tufts is like the 2014 and 2015 Wesleyan teams: they were dominant the past two seasons. The ‘Bos graduated quality starting pitching, and it showed. The mark of a good ball club is winning close games. Trin took both games by three runs or less. The Bantams simply didn’t have the run support in the game they lost. I normally pick out a player that was the difference maker; however, there’s one team stat that illustrates how talented the Bantams are: they rank first in the conference in walks. Walks increase pitch count, make fielders lose focus, and put unneeded stress on the pen. If the Bantams can keep drawing walks, they’re going to be tough to stop.

Bowdoin is also 2-1 in conference. They took two games against Bates this past weekend. Wins are wins in the end, but Bates is no Tufts. Brandon Lopez is a jack of all trades for the Polar Bears. He’s both a pitcher and utility player. He has a .250 average so far and a 4.41 ERA. These are solid stats, but they’re nowhere near Lopez’s potential. He’s a freak athlete, both football and baseball, and played a major role for the Polar Bears last year. He’s a crucial piece if the Polar Bears want to make a playoff run. They’re first in the league in stolen bases, which is a dynamic aspect to the team. Lopez can fly. If he gets on base more, the team will be even more scary on the bases.

Series prediction: Bowdoin 1, Trinity 2

Colby @ Bates:

I’ll be blunt here. Both teams probably won’t make the playoffs. Even though the season is early, I don’t either team has the depth to beat the elite of the NESCAC. I do have a bias towards Colby. Two of my high school teammates, Matt Treveloni and Will Cohen, are Mules. Trev is already on track to be in the discussion of NESCAC player of the year and is hitting .469 with 11 RBIs–leading the team by far (a figure that should fall back to earth against better competition). Trev’s the key player for the Mules as a leader in the lineup, and a guy with scary range in the outfield. Cohen has pitched decently so far. He will need to pick if the Mules want to make a deep run this season.

Bates is picking up where they left off last season: without much momentum. Bates still isn’t hitting. They are only hitting .201. They’ve only scored nine runs in three games. That’s simply not enough in NESCAC baseball. Bates needs to figure at the plate if they want to have a record over .500. The pitching has been decent and Connor Russell is their ace with a 3.95 ERA but even he hasn’t been blowing guys away. It has to be frustrating for him without any support from their lineup.

Series Prediction: Colby 2, Bates 1

Williams lacks pitching, but range in the infield and lots of backpicks from C Alex Panstares ’19 might keep them in a ballgame or two. (Photo courtesy of David Goldstein)

Amherst vs Williams

The Amherst vs Williams rivalry is one of the most storied rivalries in college. Both schools are on opposite poles, however. Amherst is on the rise. Coach Hamm has figured it out once again. Amherst can mash. They’re first in the league in homers and second RBIs. Ariel Kenney is hitting .400 with two homers on the season. Harry Roberson was one player that I said would be Amherst’s best hitter. Kenney is absolutely crushing right now, and looks like he won’t slow down. The pitching staff is doing its job too as Andrew Ferrero holds a 0.96 ERA. That’s insane in his significant sample size of over 18 innings, but he was used out of the pen last weekend rather than as a starter. Amherst is strong top down without any glaring weaknesses.

Williams was lucky to go 1-2 last weekend against Middlebury. Midd’s a strong team, and Williams appears to be weak in multiple areas. The greatest area of concern for the Ephs is starting pitching. They have no depth. The team has a 7.21 ERA, which isn’t great to put it lightly. George Carroll has a 2.81 ERA which looks great on the surface, but he has zero strikeouts in 16 innings, showing that his numbers likely are not sustainable. That tells me that he doesn’t have an electric fastball. That’s a real shame because the Ephs’ lineup is solid. They’re hitting .271 as a team, but with a 7.21 ERA, that’s not nearly high enough to compensate for a lack of quality pitching. Williams has a long way to go, so if they pick up at most one win against Amherst, that’s a win.

Series Prediction: Amherst 3, Williams 0

Middlebury @ Wesleyan

This is my series of the week. Wesleyan has shown that they’re an all around solid team. Kelvin Sosa, a freshman pitcher, has a Kershaw like delivery that doesn’t allow hitters to consistently time up their stride. He doesn’t throw hard necessarily, but his southpaw late movement is really strong. He has a 1.62 ERA with 20 k’s on the season so far. To put it bluntly, he’s nasty. Jonny Corning is showing that he’s an elite player. I personally think he has all five tools. He’s not physically imposing, but he has pop. Look for him to be on the all conference team this year or in the years to come.

While Wesleyan has a young lefty arm up in their rotation, Middlebury’s Will Oppenheim ’21 is making a name for himself, too. (Photo courtesy of David Goldstein)

Midd comes into the series with some regrets. They should’ve taken all three games against Williams last weekend. Colby Morris, my editor, is going to be key in this series. Wes can hit, and Colby can pitch. Colby isn’t making me write this about him, which is going to be made clear in the next few sentences. He has to face a deep Wesleyan lineup. Even though the Cards’ strength is obviously 1-4 in the lineup, 1-9 will not give up easily. You rarely see three pitch strikeouts against the Cards. They string together quality at bats game in and game out. I’m not saying Colby will get shelled, but he can’t try to work around guys like Ryan Earle and Chase Pratt. He has to get out of three innings below sixty pitches. If Colby has a few early innings less than ten pitches, Middlebury will win the opener, and probably the series. Game one holds all the momentum.

If Wesleyan wins game one, I don’t think Middlebury can win the next two with Olmstead or Sosa on the bump for the cards

Series Prediction: Wesleyan 3, Middlebury 0

The Snow is Starting to Thaw: NESCAC Baseball Spring Break Recap

Editor’s Note: All of the NESCAC spring break trips are now over and conference play has started for eight of 10 teams. While it might be easy to predict some weekend results, others become muddled after looking at teams’ overall records. Depending on the region of spring break trips (Florida, Arizona, the Mid-Atlantic, or California) there are vastly different strengths of schedules, leading to either inflated or deflated stats. Generally, California has the strongest teams, while all of the other regions have extremely weak competition. For a more in depth look at strength of schedule, check out this site which provides a ranking and strength of schedule assessment for ever D3 baseball team in the country: http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/isr/d3_isr.html.

Amherst:

Trip Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

Despite a stretch of losses in the middle, Amherst (9-5, 2-0) came out of their preseason contests boasting a respectable 7-5 record. While their offense did its job, hitting .279 as a team and scoring 5.9 runs per game, their pitching is really what carried their success. Andrew Ferrero ‘19 has been the Mammoths’ best pitcher so far, only allowing 2 runs in 18.2 IP on the young season, however, mostly out of the bullpen. Also impressive was Zach Horwitz ‘20 who holds a 1.64 ERA after 11 innings on the bump. Offensively, Amherst was led by Ariel Kenney ‘18 who hit .364 and had a sky-high OPS of 1.157 as a result of two home runs on their trip down south. The Mammoths have set a solid tone for their club for the rest of the season and if key pieces like Harry Roberson ‘18 start to find a groove, Amherst could be title contenders.

Bates:

Trip Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

Bates (4-9, 1-2) started out their 2018 campaign slowly, dropping six straight games in California. Although they started off on a bad note, both for themselves and for the NESCAC, the Bobcats were able to pick themselves up a little bit once they got back to the East Coast, taking 3 of their next 4 games. A 3-7 record going into NESCAC play is nothing to brag about, but maybe Bates can use some of their recent success to jumpstart them in conference play. With a team ERA of 6.12 and team batting average of .195 going into the opening weekend, there weren’t a whole lot of individuals who stood out as noteworthy after their early trip to SoCal. One bright spot may be Dan Trulli ‘19 who hit .262 over their 10 games and dropped Bates’ only bomb all preseason long. While Bates did play poorly, they traveled to California on February 18th, just three days after official practices started, so we will give them a break here as they couldn’t have been adequately prepared to compete.

Bowdoin:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Medium

Bowdoin (8-7, 2-1) exits their preseason going an average 6-6. While they had a few lopsided victories (10-1 and 10-2 over Keuka), they also had lopsided losses (16-3 against #3 Rowan). Bowdoin really came into their own over their last 6 games, going 5-1 and holding opposing offenses to only 2.5 runs per game. While their staff as a whole has a very unimpressive ERA of 5.82, Seamus Keenan ‘20 sets the pace for the Polar Bears with a 1.42 ERA and 13K through his first 12 ⅔ IP. The offense has been led by Joe Gentile ‘18 and Jack Wilhoite ‘19 who are each hitting .405 and .406, respectively. While Bowdoin does have 4 guys hitting over .340, nobody in the rest of their lineup is able to crack .260, creating a stark contrast between the middle of their order and the rest. Bowdoin’s keys to success this season will be to lower that team ERA, and get everyone involved up and down the lineup.

Colby:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

After a huge 13-4 victory over Keuka on opening day, the Mules (2-8, 0-0) have looked stagnant. Going 1-6 since that win is not the look that Colby needed going into NESCAC play. Their only other win after Keuka comes against Waterville rival Thomas College, which is not a particularly impressive win to say the least. Captain Matt Treveloni ‘18 has had a stand out spring so far hitting .440, with the majority of his knocks being for extra bases. Will Phillips ‘20 has also been lighting it up for the Mules at the plate hitting .444. On the other side of the equation, Colby has been giving up an average of 6.6 runs per game, and the offense can’t keep pace with that so far. One success the Mules have had on the mound so far has been Frank Driscoll ‘21, who allowed no earned runs and recorded 8 Ks in the first start of his college career, earning the win over Thomas. The clear problem the Mules have right now is not their ability to put runs on the board, but rather keep them off of it. As their younger pitchers gain more experience, perhaps the Mules can take an opportunity to climb in the standings from their last place finish in 2017.

Hamilton:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

Hamilton’s (6-9, 0-2) preseason has been an absolute rollercoaster ride. Dropping their first 7 contests, the Continental’s trajectory seemed to be on a crash course for disaster. That is until their bats caught fire and proceeded to win them their next 6 games in a row. Talk about getting hot at the right time, Hamilton is coming into conference play riding a huge wave of momentum, even though they couldn’t finish out a game against Amherst on opening weekend. A large chunk of their success so far has come from freshman duo Jarrett Lee ‘21 and Matt Zaffino ‘21 who both look to be in the early running for NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Zaffino’s 10 extra base hits, three big flys, .405 AVG. and absurd .892 SLG% pace the Continentals through this past weekend. Hamilton’s freshman heavy lineup continues with Gavin Schaefer-Hood ‘21 who leads the Continentals with 16 ⅓ IP saw his 3.77 ERA balloon to 6.06 after a rough outing against Amherst. While Hamilton would not appear to be in the running for a NESCAC crown this season, I would expect them to find a lot more success this season than last with lots of help from their newfound fountain of youth.

Andrew Corcoran ’18 and the Panthers take big swings and will try to continue their suddenly hot offensive streak into Middletown this weekend.

Middlebury:

Spring Break Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

While Midd (6-9, 2-1) boasts a weak 4-8 non-conference record, their strength of schedule may be to blame. Unlike their competitors who venture down to Florida or Arizona for the duration of their spring break games, Midd throws themselves right into the fire. They played in both Georgia and Southern California to face quality competition on their turf. The Panther’s 3-3 record on their SoCal trip in comparison to Bates’ 0-6 shows the caliber of players that Middlebury has. While their offense has been lackluster, hitting .223 as a team before playing Williams, Justin Han ‘20 has been a diamond in the rough hitting .347 with 12 RBI for the Panthers. On the mound, NBN editor and Middlebury ace Colby Morris ‘19 has been getting the job done, already amassing 28 ⅔ IP on the young season and maintaining a stellar 2.08 ERA befoer facing Williams, which ismuch improved from his first two seasons. While Midd is slated to be a major contender for the NESCAC championship this spring, it is still clear that they have issues that need addressing both offensively and defensively in order to compete at the level they are expected to.

Trinity:

Spring Break Location: South Carolina

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Medium

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Trinity’s (6-8, 2-1) spring so far has been quite below-average. Their 2-4 record in South Carolina screams “meh” and the fact that they have already had 5 home games, a luxury most all NESCAC teams have not enjoyed, hasn’t seemed to serve them too well. With a vital series win against Tufts, the Bantams showed that they put themselves in a good position, however, to outplay the Jumbos. One guy who has been getting it done for the Bantams has been Matt Koperniak ‘20 who leads Trinity in AVG (.404) and extra base hits (6). On the bump, Trinity’s starting rotation has been fantastic. Their top 3 arms Erik Mohl ‘19, Alex Shafer ‘20, and Justin Olson ‘21 have each started at least 2 games and still maintain sub 3 ERAs. This makes Trinity’s problems all to clear, their offense in which nobody buy Koperniak is hitting over .300 and their bullpen which has been blowing games that their starters are setting up for them quite nicely. Although their preseason wasn’t too promising, it looks as if their starting pitching could carry the Bantams to the playoffs due to a down year in pitching for the rest of the conference.

Tufts:

Spring Break Location: Virginia

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

Unsurprisingly, Tufts (7-6, 1-2) is one of the only NESCAC teams to exit spring break with a winning record at 6-4. The Jumbos can flat out rake, with a team AVG of .301 and scoring 11.1 runs per game exiting spring break. The blue and brown machine seems unstoppable, but their stats are not all that they appear to be. During their classic trip to Virginia, they played an unchallenging schedule, looking to leave ranked like in 2016 and 2017. Their 6-4 record, while respectable, is an illusion. They usually exit VA with at most one loss and showed that their pitching staff is much weaker than any could’ve imagined. While RJ Hall and Brent Greeley are off to hot starts with sub-3 ERAs, Tufts lacks the bullpen depth to dominate the NESCAC. As a result, their team ERA is an abysmal 5.85. and they failed to take home a series win against Trinity who didn’t even make the NESCAC playoffs in 2017. Malcolm Nachmanoff ‘18 , Nick Falkson ‘18, and John Moschella ‘19 bolster a strong lineup that should continually allow the Jumbos to compete, even if not at their usual dominant level. Tufts, as always, is favored to win it all this year but they will not be able to do it without some vast improvement in their pen. That being said, I am looking forward to some weekend slugfests between the Jumbos and their NESCAC opponents that could very well result in some football-esque scores.

Wesleyan:

Spring Break Location: Arizona

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

The Cardinals (10-6, 0-0) can be crowned spring training champs of the NESCAC despite a weak strength of schedule. A dominant 9-4 performance shows that Wesleyan is firing on all cylinders to start of the 2018 season. With a team batting average of .314, everyone is eating for the Cardinals. They have an incredible 7 starters hitting over .300 and Chase Pratt’s ‘20 statline of 412/.553/.735 is scary good but down from.520/.618/.920 before last weekend, showing that the Tucson fields aided his bat. Tanner Fulkerson ‘20 has started his season red hot too, hitting .393 with a conference leading 24 RBI. There are almost too many names to mention for Wesleyan so let’s just say that Ryan Earle ‘19, Alex Cappitelli ‘20 and Matt Jeye ‘18 also rake. Although when it comes to pitching, Wesleyan looks like any other NESCAC team with their 5.53 team ERA. Mike McCaffrey ‘19 has had a solid showing so far as the Cardinal ace, with a 3.86 ERA and 12.12 K/9 before a rough start against a great Endicott team which inflated his numbers. His strikeouts are impressive but 27 hits in 21.1 innings and a current 5.48 ERA isn’t dominant. When it comes to offense, I recommend that Wesleyan doesn’t change a thing. On the bump there are certainly problems to be resolved. Nevertheless, McCaffrey, Alec Olmstead, and Kelvin Sosa make up a solid rotation lots of Ks and lots of BBs. The impressive showing the Cardinals put up in Arizona shows that, perhaps, they can go deep into the playoff race this year, but they will likely fall significantly back to earth in the Northeast.

Williams:

Spring Break Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

All I can say about the Ephs (2-10, 1-2) preseason so far is yikes. If a 1-8 non-conference record isn’t enough to sound an alarm, maybe the fact that they had a 10 game losing streak before beating Midd 5-3 in game three of their opening series. Although they were able to pick up a win on opening day against historically bad Cal Tech, I’m not convinced that Williams’ 1-8 record in SoCal is too much better than Bates’ 0-6. To be fair to the Ephs, they have had several close losses, losing 5-4 to La Verne, 2-1 to Whittier and once again 9-8 to Whittier. It is clear that Williams is missing just some little pieces to turn themselves from a 1-8 club into a NESCAC contender. One piece that has been working for them is Erik Mini ‘21 who starts off his college career hitting .306 with a .611 SLG% and team leading 2 HR. On the mound there is not much to mention for Williams with their team ERA at 7.21. Williams needs to treat their preseason like MLB Spring Training and ignore the numbers. Their series in California against Midd was their first real test of the season and they showed that their pitching is a huge issue. They allowed 29 runs in three games to Midd (20 in game one), and unless they figure something else out, they won’t be able to win 2/3 games in any NESCAC series.

What Everybody’s Waiting For: NESCAC Baseball Opening Weekend Preview

Most NESCAC teams have concluded their spring trips. You know what that means: NESCAC baseball is back! Conference games return this weekend with a full slate of games. There were no dominant teams in the preseason unlike recent years, so NESCAC play should be as competitive as ever. Here is a preview of the upcoming conference games:

Williams @ Middlebury, Friday March 30th @ University of La Verne and Saturday March 31st @ Chapman University (Doubleheader) Los Angeles, California (Midd is the home team):

This series should be fascinating for a couple reasons. Midd is only 4-8 on the season. After such a promising playoff run, the Panthers don’t look like the same team in the standingsfrom a year ago. Don’t let the record fool you, however. The losses Midd incurred came from DIII powerhouses such as Emory, Pomona-Pitzer, and #15 Redlands. A red flag shouldn’t be going off for the Panthers yet, but if they drop more than one game to Williams, I don’t think Midd will come out on top in the west. It’s also worth noting that in 2017, the Panthers started out 3-9. Colby Morris is carrying the pitching staff with a 2.18 ERA and 20.2 innings pitched. He obviously is the ace of the staff, but the two guys below him in innings pitched, Robert Erickson and Colin Waters both have ERAs in the 4’s and 8’s. Freshman Will Oppenheim will be an key arm to watch this weekend, especially after the recent injury (Tommy John surgery) to Spencer Shores, who was electric at times in 2017. Winning the Friday game of a NESCAC series is important to gain some momentum, but strong pitching has to be constant throughout the entire series, not just the opener. Similarly, the lineup has inconsistencies through it. Justin Han has clearly picked up where he left off last season with a .359 avg so far. Sam Graf, for example, hit .323 last year, but is only hitting .182. The good news for Midd is that conference play hasn’t started yet. There’s time for guys like Graf, Erickson, and Waters to become comfortable and dominate again. Williams has limped out to a 1-8 record so far. The team is clearly missing southpaw Johnny Lamont because the Ephs collectively hold a 7.40 ERA. The one silver lining in this dismal start is freshman outfielder Erik Mini. Mini is second on the team with a .345 average, and has already jacked two homers. The offense has hit started hot with a .292 team average, but quality pitching has been non-existent. Only one pitcher, George Carroll, currently holds an ERA under 4.

Expect these games to be high scoring—especially when the starting pitching becomes so-so in games two and three. Midd’s the better team, and should come out on top in this series.

Predicted conference record: Midd 2-1, Williams 1-2

Trinity @ Tufts, Friday March 30th and Saturday March 31st (Doubleheader), Medford, Mass:

Trinity’s hitting has started off slowly but has had great pitching and could rely on that this weekend.

One of the biggest surprises for me this season is that Tufts didn’t jump out to a hotter start. Most of the games they’ve played have been decided by a 10 or more run differential against weak teams. I know it’s spring training, but I thought Tufts’ competitive spirit would foster closer games. The Jumbos are an average 5-4 so far. Seniors Tommy O’Hara and Malcolm Nachmanoff are leading the Jumbos offense. Both are hitting in the mid to high .300’s, and have been staples in the Tufts lineup for some time. What’s the problem then? Pitching. Similar to Wesleyan a few years back, there’s an inevitable fall from grace after your top guys graduate. That was Nick Cooney and Gavin Pittore for Wesleyan. For Tufts, it’s Speros Varinos and Tim Superko. Both guys would be aces for any team in the NESCAC. Without those two, Tufts starting pitching has greatly deteriorated. Brent Greely and RJ Hall have picked up the slack as the number one and two pitchers, respectively, and they will miss Brad Marchetti for the season due to a torn ACL. After those guys, there’s a massive drop in quality pitching. Except for Spencer Langdon and the two guys mentioned above, there’s no other Jumbo pitcher with a sub 4 ERA. Like great teams, however, the Jumbos will always figure it out. Don’t let their average record fool you. The ‘Bos are still legit.

Trinity has hobbled out to a 3-7 record so far. The main area of concern for the Bantams is hitting. The team has a .259 average. NESCAC pitching is strong, so a .259 season average won’t cut it. Senior Brendan Pierce is only hitting .207, and leads the team with strikeouts. He has been a catalyst for big innings his previous three years, so he has to figure it out if the Bantams want to have a successful season. Starting pitching is solid for the Bantams as Erik Mohl leads the staff with a 2.89 ERA. The next two guys have ERAs below 4. This should bode well for Trinity down the stretch because as I’ve noted above, quality starting pitching always comes at a premium. If the Bantams can figure themselves out at the plate, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be valid competitors.

The series is held in Medford, and Tufts always utilizes their home field advantage. Look for Trinity to maybe pick up one game, but Tufts should dominate the rest.

Predicted conference record: Tufts 2-1, Trinity 1-2

Bates @ Bowdoin, Friday March 30th and Saturday March 31st, @ Colby College (Waterville, ME)

While Connor Speed was supposed to be the ace and was on our Preseason All-NESCAC Team, it looks like Russell is taking the reigns after a solid start.

After Bates limped into the playoffs last year, it seems like the Bobcats are continuing in that path. The one statistic that can’t be overlooked is Bates’ team .191 average. .191!! That isn’t just one guy or a couple guys, it’s the whole team. Obviously the graduation of Brendan Fox and Ryan McCarthy hurt Bates a lot. The top nine Bates guys are barely hitting in the mid-.200’s if that. The Bobcats are obviously short on hitting, but their pitching hasn’t picked up the slack either. Their ace, Connor Russell, leads the team with a 4.22 ERA. It shouldn’t be stated enough that these statistics are from spring training games. However, they are indicative of what could be to come. Bates needs to figure it out at the plate and on the mound if they want a shot at reaching the playoffs again.

Bowdoin comes into the NESCAC season with a 6-6 record. That’s very solid relative to other NESCAC teams. Senior Joe Gentile mashed over spring training—hitting .405. Furthermore, many of the top guys in the Polar Bears’ lineup are hitting above .300. Bowdoin looks like they’ve improved significantly from last year. Starting pitching has been only decent. Sophomore Seamus Keenan leads the squad with a 1.42 ERA, while the next two guys in the rotation are above the 4 ERA mark. Bowdoin has been waiting some time to get back in the hunt in the east. That division is so competitive that it’s really hard for teams like Bowdoin to receive one of the covetous playoff spots.

Bowdoin and Bates seem like they’re on two different tracks: Bowdoin is rising; Bates is falling. I think this series will be won decisively.

Predicted conference record: Bowdoin 3-0, Bates 0-3

Hamilton @ Amherst, Friday March 30th and Saturday March 31st, Amherst, MA:

Amherst comes into NESCAC baseball with a 6-5 overall record after the team’s spring trip. Senior shortstop Harry Roberson leads the squad in RBIs with eleven so far. Although Roberson is only hitting .229, expect the elite NESCAC shortstop to hit in the .300’s for conference play. Roberson’s below average hitting is indicative of Amherst’s lack of success with the bats so far. The team is only hitting .262, and I don’t think they lost too many big bats from last season. Like Tufts, Amherst is one of those teams that is usually in it for the long haul; they’ll inevitably figure it out. Amherst, under Hamm’s guidance, is known for a well-balanced team. Amherst pitching has been the best in the NESCAC so far in regard to across the board depth. While reigning NESCAC pitcher of the week, Sam Schneider, is the team’s ace, Junior Andrew Ferrero, holds a 1.13 ERA and is pitching like a #1.To have great starting pitching is one thing. Dominant teams, however, have relievers who can hold a one run lead on the road. Amherst has those guys in Zach Horowitz and Mike Dow who both hold ERA’s in the low 1’s.

Hamilton arrives with a 6-7 overall record, riding a six game winning streak. In the past few years, I don’t think anyone ever doubted Hamilton’s potential. Guys like Ryan Wolfsberg, Kenny Collins, ad Andrew Haser had enormous talent, but it always seemed like Hamilton couldn’t defeat those elite teams in close ballgames. Hamilton was at Wesleyan last year, and could’ve taken at least two of the contests. Most of 2017’s games didn’t turn out in Hamilton’s favor even with their stud-filled lineup. Errors have plagued Hamilton for years and their pitching is nothing to write home about. After losing so many of their starters to graduation, they will likely have a tough time adapting to conference play. Ian Nish is an early bright spot with a 1.42 ERA, but Dan DePaoli should anchor the staff. Freshmen infielders Jarrett Lee and Matt Zaffino have mashed at the plate–holding the highest batting averages on the team (just over .400 and .375, respectively). Zafino has already accumulated ten errors, though and the Continentals need to learn how to win close ballgames which comes with experience, not youth. While they may have potential down the road, I can’t see them winning more than one game against Amherst.

Amherst is Amherst and against such an inexperienced team, they will find a way to get it done.

Predicted conference record: Amherst 2-1, Hamilton 1-2

Top Fantasy Picks; Preseason NESCAC Baseball Awards (Reimagined)

Editor’s Note: The goal of this post is not only to slight the NESCAC baseball awards system where there are far too few pitchers, not enough creativity, and overlap between awards, but also to explore who is going to make a big impact this coming season in the same style as MLB awards. Also I’d like to give a warm welcome to new writer, my good friend, and my former high school baseball teammate, Spencer Smead.

West Player of The Year:

SS Harry Roberson ‘18 (Amherst) Arlington, Mass.: After an outstanding 2017 campaign that yielded him 1st Team All-NESCAC honors, Amherst Junior Harry Roberson will look to follow up last year’s success with an even more impressive 2018 season. With a stat line of .359 AVG/.418 OBP/.538 SLG as well as 18 extra base hits last season (good for 2nd in the NESCAC), it is no wonder why he was All-Conference. Along with his in season success, Roberson played in both the prestigious Cape Cod league this summer (on a temp contract) as well as the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). After finishing second in the Eastern Division with an in-conference record of 8-4, Amherst was eliminated in the NESCAC playoffs with two losses to eventual champion Tufts. With the loss of several key seniors in Yanni Thanopoulos ‘17 and Anthony Spina ‘17, Roberson will need to carry an even heavier load in order for the Amherst offense to return to its 2017 strength. Amherst’s season has begun in Florida and all eyes are on Roberson to be the heart of a dangerous Mammoth’s lineup.

East Player of The Year:

1B Nick Falkson ‘18 (Tufts) Dedham, Mass.: In all fairness, this was not a particularly difficult decision to make. Falkson, the reigning POY and opening week NESCAC Player of the week, will look to pick up where he left off with the rest of the reigning champion Jumbos. Numbers don’t lie, and Falkson’s .373 AVG, 37 RBI and 73 Total Bases are proof of his absolute dominance at the plate during 2017. Along with being an offensive threat, Falkson’s .997 Fielding % makes him Gold Glove worthy as well. Being recognized as 3rd Team All-New England by both the NEIBA and ABCA, Falkson’s 2017 accomplishments did not go under the radar. All of these accolades and statistical achievements are what lead to Falkson to be selected as a D3 Player to Watch by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. I am in complete agreement with the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, whether you are a Tufts fan or despise the dominance they have held over NESCAC baseball, Falkson’s 2018 season will be one you won’t want to miss. Despite their NESCAC success, Tufts failed to pick up a win in their 2017 regional play and subsequently have dropped out of the top-25 national rankings. Falkson will hope to get the Jumbos back in the national conversation after their spring break trip to Virginia concludes.

West Cy Young:

LHP Mike McCaffrey ‘19 (Wesleyan) Warwick, R.I.: The class of 2017 had more than its fair share of extremely talented pitchers, leaving the door wide open for Cy Young candidates for the 2018 season. The frontrunner of those that remain is Wesleyan’s Mike McCaffrey. Averaging nearly 11K/9IP in 2017 it is obvious that McCaffrey has the stuff to put away even the most dangerous hitters in the NESCAC. Although his 4.11 ERA seems underwhelming for a Cy Young candidate, he proved this past offseason that he has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the conference. After being named an All-Star in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), McCaffrey was also selected to the D3 Players to Watch List by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. After posting a much more impressive ERA of 1.51 in the summer of 2017 and maintaining an excellent 11.6K/9IP, McCaffrey will look to carry his summer success over to the 2018 season. McCaffrey will need to be a workhorse for the Cardinals to lift them into the playoffs this year after a 3rd Place finish in the West in 2017. McCaffrey and the Cardinals have opened their 2018 play in Arizona already and will continue their spring break trip in Tucson through March 23rd.

East Cy Young:

LHP Erik Mohl ‘19 (Trinity) Milton, Mass.: With the exit of two-time NESCAC Pitcher of the Year Speros Varinos ‘17 (Tufts), it is finally time to crown a new Cy Young in the East. Trinity’s Erik Mohl is the top candidate for the position after a fantastic season last year. Mohl’s 7 wins were good for 2nd best in the NESCAC last year and his 2.55 ERA was 3rd best in the conference. Mohl earned 2nd Team All-NESCAC honors last year with his performance and is the ace of the Bantams’ pitching staff. He will need to put up another strong season to propel Trinity to playoff contention after a 4th place finish last year in the Eastern Division. The last time that the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year did not reach the playoffs was 2007 when Tim Kiely ‘08 (Trinity) and the Bantams failed to do so. Trinity has a history of producing dominant pitching while not having the ability to put together a playoff team, but Mohl will look to break that tradition. The Bantams have already kicked off their preseason games down in South Carolina and will begin NESCAC play in a make-or-break series against Tufts on March 30th.

Reliever of the Year:

RHP Kyle Dean ‘20 (Williams) Freemont, CA: In his rookie year in the NESCAC, Williams righty Kyle Dean was extremely effective in his role out of the ‘pen. In his 26 IP he maintained a stellar 1.38 ERA and amassed a K/9 of 9.35. With Williams losing their three most called upon pitchers, one to graduation (Luke Rodino ‘17), one to a transfer (Sean Hager ‘20), and one to an injury (Johnny Lamont ’20), I would expect to see Dean’s innings total to increase immensely this upcoming season. Dean will be called upon quite frequently for the Ephs., and Williams will need effective arms in their pen if they want to enter the playoff race. In the 2017 season, seven of the Eph’s 11 losses were by two runs or less. Perhaps with a slightly more effective bullpen Williams could have pulled out some close games and improved upon their 3rd place finish in the West. Williams has begun play in Dean’s native California over spring break and has a strong strength of schedule (including a match up against defending national champion Cal Lutheran) before playing their bizarre neutral site series against Middlebury in SoCal to open up NESCAC play.

Breakout Player of the Year:

Andrew Hennings ’20 (He really needs to work on that smile)

IF Andrew Hennings ‘20 (Middlebury) Oak Park, IL.: In his limited appearances for the Panthers last season Hennings was able to make the most of his opportunities. In just 19 games played due to entering the starting lineup after the preseason and a shoulder injury, Hennings was able to put up a .388 AVG and a 1.001 OPS. As two spots have opened up in the Panther’s lineup this past offseason, expect Hennings to be a staple in the middle of their order. As his at bats increase, so should his already stellar numbers. I wouldn’t put it beyond Hennings to sneak into an All-NESCAC spot at the end of this year, so keep an eye on him throughout the season, including Midd’s preseason games in Georgia and Southern California.

DeMarini CF3 Slugger Award:

If you didn’t have a childhood and didn’t play Little League, this bat dropped bombs.

OF/P Brendan Pierce ‘18 (Trinity) Hingham, Mass.: With the pop that this Bantam produced last year, some may have thought he was using a BESR bat. Dropping a conference-leading 5 bombs in the 2017 season, Trinity Senior Brendan Pierce will return this year looking to wreak havoc on the ERA of NESCAC pitchers. With another year of experience under his belt and nothing to lose in his senior season, look for Pierce to up his power numbers even more. Traveling to the more tropical climate of South Carolina to open up the season, don’t be surprised if Pierce hits a tank or two in his preseason games to kick off what should be an impressive senior campaign.

2018 Preseason 1st Team All-NESCAC (Does not include award winners mentioned above)

C Alex Rodriguez ‘20 (Trinity) South Windsor, CT.

IF Kellen Hatheway ‘19 (Williams) Armonk, N.Y.

IF Tommy O’Hara ‘18 (Tufts) Glenview, IL

IF Jack Roberts ‘18 (Williams) Vineyard Haven, Mass.

IF Will Shackelford ‘19 (Tufts) Orleans, Mass.

IF Justin Han ‘20 (Middlebury) Vienna, VA

OF Sam Graf ‘19 (Middlebury) Loma, CO

OF Matt Treveloni ‘18 (Colby) Ashland, Mass.

OF Matt Koperniak ‘20 (Trinity) Adams, Mass.

P Connor Himstead ‘19 (Middlebury) Wellesley, Mass

P Connor Speed ’18 (Bates) San Diego, CA

P/UT Brandon Lopez ‘19 (Bowdoin) Amesbury, Mass.

Who’s Coming in Second? NESCAC East Baseball Preview

East Division Preview:

Bates:

Head Coach: Jon Martin, 2nd Season, 16-18 Career Record

Projected NESCAC Record: 4-8

Key Losses: 2B/SS Brendan Fox (.270 AVG, 27 H, 17 RBI)

OF Ryan McCarthy (3 HR, 13 RBI, 7 SB)

RHP Anthony Telisca (49.2 IP, 3-2, 3.26 ERA)

1B Brendon Canavan (.257 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI)

Returning Starters:

3B Dan Trulli ’19 (.282 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)

C Jack Arend ’20 (.271 AVG, 1 HR, 18 RBI)

SS Asher MacDonald ’18 (.241 AVG, 21 H, 12 RBI)

INF Kyle Carter ’20 (.217 AVG, 20 H, 12 RBI)

OF Will Sylvia ‘20 (.287 AVG, 1 HR, 23 H)

RHP Connor Speed ’18 (54.1 IP, 1-7, 2.98 ERA)

LHP Connor Russell ’18 (8 APP, 33.0 IP, 3.27 ERA)

Biggest Series: March 31^st vs. Bowdoin

Everything Else:

The Bobcats enter the 2018 season as a team that could finish, realistically, anywhere from 1^st to last in the East division. They finished second last year at 7-5, but limped into the NESCAC tournament, winning their first 7 games but losing their last 5, wrapping up the year by losing both of their postseason games to Middlebury and Amherst, respectively. If you include their “non-conference” games against Williams, they dropped their final 9 games against NESCAC opponents. Bates stayed in games with their pitching (3.51 ERA, 2nd in the league) and their defense (league-best .966 FPCT) but combined to hit for an abysmal .234 as a team, with a .294 slugging percentage, both comfortably last in the NESCAC. They return two of their top three pitchers in innings pitched in seniors Connor Speed and Connor Russell, who will be tasked with keeping this team in games until they can figure out how to hit. They also return their three leading hitters in Will Sylvia ’20 (.287), Dan Trulli ’19 (.282), and Jack Arend ’20 (.271). Much of their success will be determined by whether those three underclassmen can take the jump up and become difference makers, but they need to get off to a good start. Their opening NESCAC series against Bowdoin is my series to watch for them because after finishing their season the way they did, they’re going to need to find the confidence earlier rather than later in the league schedule. They boast the best defense in the league, which is generally something that is not hard to replicate, and if their pitching can be in the sub 4 ERA range, even the slightest improvements to their hitting could make a difference.

Bates needs to wake up the bats this season as they were last in the league in offense in 2017.

Bowdoin:

Head Coach: Mike Connolly, 19^th Season, 352-290-1 Career Record

Projected NESCAC Record: 4-8

Key Losses:

IF Evann Dumont-LaPointe (.270 AVG, 2 HR, 18 RBI)

IF Sean Mullaney (.240 AVG, 24 H, 12 RBI)

Returning Starters:

C Colby Joncas ’19 (.276 AVG, 27 H, 13 RBI)

1B Sawyer Billings ’18 (.313 AVG, 12 XBH, 14 RBI)

P/UTL Brandon Lopez ’19 (.333 AVG, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 44.2 IP, 4-1, 2.62 ERA)

OF Jack Wilhoite ’20 (.268 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI)

IF Cody Tedesco ’19 (.347 AVG, .418 OBP, 4 XBH)

IF Eric Mah ’20 (.232 AVG, 16 H, 7 RBI)

P Max Vogel-Freedman ’19 (41.2 IP, 2-3, 4.10 ERA, 7.34 K/9)

P Colby Lewis ’20 (32.0 IP, 4-3, 3.94 ERA)

Biggest Series: March 31^st vs. Bates

Everything Else:

Dropping all three to Bates to open league play last season put the Polar Bears behind the 8 ball and although they were able to get to 6-6, it was too little too late to have a chance to make some postseason noise. But their season this year will mostly come down to how they perform against Bates, and the parallels between the two are quite strong. Like their in-state rivals, the success of their season will be determined by how many guys can take the jump up this year—for them both on the mound and at the dish. All-NESCAC selection Brandon Lopez is only a junior and will hope to continue to do his best Shohei Otanei impersonation, but he’s going to need some help. Colby Lewis ’20 and Max Vogel-Freedman ’19 combined to log nearly 73 innings pitched last season, but they’re going to need one of them to step up and perform as a consistent number 2. They have guys like Jack Wilhoite ’20 (.268 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI) and Sawyer Billings ’18 (.313 AVG, 14 RBI) to set the table with Lopez at the plate, but they’re going to need some depth at the bottom of the order and an improvement from their .259 average as a team last year (9^th in the NESCAC) if they want to see consistent success this year. Their opening series vs. Bates might as well be the NESCAC quarterfinals, and they’re probably going to need to take 2 out of 3 if they want to make the playoffs. They would be much better off playing those games in April, as it would give them more time to sort out their order and rotation, but they’re going to be tested early instead. They’re going to win most of the games that Lopez pitches in and they need the same to be true when Lewis and Vogel-Freedman take the mound. If they can do that, they have the talent to play into May, but they need to show it in March first.

Colby:

Head Coach: Dale Plummer, 12th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 3-9

Key Losses:

OF Ryder Arsenault (.285 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI)

C Andrew Della Volpe (.286 AVG, 6 XBH, 11 RBI)

Returning Starters:

OF Matt Treveloni ’18 (.333 AVG, 39 H, 6 SB)

OF Matt Garcia ’18 (.259 AVG, 2 HR, 14 RBI)

INF Tyler Mulberry ’19 (.304, 10 2B, 17 RBI)

INF Jackson Ward ’19 (.239, 22 H, 10 RBI)

3B William Wessman ’20 (.209 AVG, 7 RBI)

P Taimu Ito ’20 (50.2 IP, 2-3, 2.84 ERA)

P Brooks Parker ’19 (49.0 IP, 7.35 K/9, 3.31 ERA)

P Emery Dinsmore ’20 (33.2 IP, 2-3, 4.01 ERA)

Biggest Series: April 13^th-14^th vs. Trinity

Everything Else: The Mules return in 2018 looking to improve on their 3-9 record from last year. For Colby it starts in the field. Their pitching staff’s 4.22 ERA was 4^th best in the league, but their fielding percentage was dead last at .949, no thanks in part to their league leading 65 errors. When you put those two things together it should be no surprise that although they allowed 205 runs (second last), only 133 of them were earned. The pitching was really good all year, especially when you consider their three-headed monster was comprised of two freshmen in Taimu Ito and Emery Dinsmore, and a sophomore, Brooks Parker. That trio will now be one junior and two sophomores, and we all know what a difference the jump from freshman to sophomore year can make in this league. But they have to cut down on the errors, and they have to find a way to hit. The bottom three in the league in hitting looked a whole lot like the 2017 football standings: Colby, Bowdoin, and Bates. All three of these teams have other strengths, but they need to hit. Colby’s ability to go three deep in their rotation will give them to compete in all three weekend games. Hopefully Ito can take the jump into the top tier of NESCAC pitching, because they’re going to need someone that can match up with the aces in this league, and he’s my pick for most likely candidate. Parker and Dinsmore bringing up the rear means there shouldn’t be a lot of 0-3 weekends as long as they cut down on the mistakes in the field. It’s going to be an uphill battle in the league for Colby this year, but they have room to improve and there’s no reason to think they shouldn’t.

One of the key necessities for the Mules is improved defense.

Trinity:

Head Coach: Bryan Adamski, 5^th year, 69-72 Career Record

Projected NESCAC Record: 9-3

Key Losses:

INF Nick DiBenedetto (.354 AVG, 1 HR, 30 RBI)

Returning Starters:

C Alex Rodriguez ’20 (.342 AVG, 11 XBH, 23 RBI)

INF Ben Reinsch ’19 (.282 AVG, .401 OBP, 35 H)

INF/OF Matt Koperniak ’20 (.310 AVG, 1 HR, 20 RBI)

INF Cooper Mooney ’18 (.300 AVG, 1 HR, 29 RBI)

1B Johnny Stamatis ‘19 (.311, 24 RBI, 33 H)

UTIL Brendan Pierce ’19 (.275 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI)

P Eric Mohl ’19 (53.0 IP, 7-2, 2.55 ERA)

P Alex Shafer ’20 (44.2 IP, 3-1, 4.23 ERA)

P McLane Hill ’18 (35.1 IP, 3.57 ERA, 8.92 K/9)

P Chris Speer ’18 (32.0 IP, 3-0, 0.84 ERA)

P Alex Herbst ’20 (30.2 IP, 2-1, 4.70 ERA)

Biggest Series: April 20^th-21^st vs. Bates

Everything Else: Well to say this team returned a lot would be a gross understatement. Of the 301.2 innings they pitched last year, they return all 301.2 of them. A senior-less pitching staff a year ago is now a pitching staff with 5 pitchers returing having logged 30 or more innings, including junior ace Eric Mohl and his 2.55 ERA, as well as senior stud reliever’s McLane Hill (8.92 K/9) and Chris Speer (0.84 ERA). The Bants and their 22-14 overall record were the second-best team in East, but a disastrous 0-3 weekend in Brunswick against Bowdoin, highlighted by a walkoff loss in 12 innings, did them in and they finished 5-7 and in 4^th place. But this team was second in the league in runs scored, and return a lineup that includes co-Rookie of the year C Alex Rodriguez (.342 AVG, 23 RBI), INF/OF Matt Koperniak ’20 (.310 AVG, 1 HR, 20 RBI), Brendan Pierce ’19 (5 HR, 18 RBI), and like 4 other guys that I don’t have time to mention because there is so much good college basketball on. Another thing about this Trinity team is that they can flat out run. I mean, RUN. Their 104 stolen bases were almost 50 more than the next closest team (Hamilton), and when you combine their baserunning prowess with the bats in their lineup, they have the firepower to win every league game they play. The key for them is keeping the poor pitching performances to a minimum and giving their offense a chance to win them the game. They had a couple games against league opponents that they gave away due to some self-destruction on the mound (15 runs allowed in an inning against Tufts, anyone?), and if they don’t shoot themselves in the foot like that they have the depth both on the mound and at the plate to be contenders for a championship.

Tufts:

Head Coach: John Casey, 35^th year, 699-394-4 Career Record

Projected NESCAC Record: 10-2

Key Losses:

OF Oscar Kutch (.315 AVG, 2 HR, 24 RBI)

IF Tom Petry (.289 AVG, 2 HR, 23 RBI)

OF Harry Brown (.261 AVG, 30 H, 21 RBI)

P Speros Varinos (77.1 IP, 8-1, 1.98 ERA)

P Tim Superko (54.1 IP, 6-1, 3.98 ERA)

P Rory Ziomek (14 APP, 1.04 ERA, 12.98 K/9)

Returning Starters:

3B Nick Falkson ‘18 (.373 AVG, 2 HR, 37 RBI)

INF Tommy O’Hara ’18 (.351 AVG, 4 HR, 46 RBI)

IF/OF Mike McLaughlin ’18 (.304 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI)

IF Casey Santos-Ocampos ’19 (.278 AVG, 1 HR, 22 RBI)

IF Will Shackleford ’19 (.368 AVG, 1 HR, 28 RBI)

OF Malcolm Nachmanoff ’18 (.182 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI)

P R.J. Hall ’20 (58.1 IP, 3-4, 3.39 ERA)

P Brad Marchetti ’20 (36.1 IP, 2-2, 2.97 ERA)

Biggest Series: March 30^th-31^st vs. Trinity

Everything Else:

The reigning NESCAC champions appear to be reloading this year. The loss of OFs Oscar Kutch (.315 AVG, 2 HR, 24 RBI), Harry Brown (.261 AVG, 30 H, 21 RBI), and IF Tom Petry (.289 AVG, 2 HR, 23 RBI) would be crippling to most teams attempting to repeat, but not the Jumbos. Tufts returns reigning player of the year Nick Falkson ’18 (.373 AG, 2 HR, 37 RBI) and I would like his chances to win that award again, if not for the additional return of IF Tommy O’Hara, who managed to hit .351 to go along with 4 HR and 46 RBI last year. He has a legitimate gripe over being snubbed for POY, but it went to his teammate instead. This lineup is loaded up and down with guys who can hit for both power and contact, and if Falkson, O’Hara, and co. manage to all improve on their numbers from last year then the rest of the league is in way bigger trouble than they already were. The loss of pitcher of the year Speros Varinos (77.1 IP, 8-1, 1.98 ERA), and number 2 Tim Superko (54.1 IP, 6-1, 3.98 ERA) mean that their pitching staff will certainly not be as dominant as they were last year, but RJ Hall and Brad Marchetti (94.2 IP combined) will be forced to take the step up and anchor this rotation in just their sophomore seasons. The top end starting pitching will decline, as will the depth in the lineup, but as long as the batting order features the names Falkson and O’Hara, I think Tufts should be just fine. Trinity appears ready to give them a run for their money, but the Jumbos are still the class of this division, and it will stay that way unless otherwise noted.

What is an Internship? NESCAC Baseball Summerball Recap

Editor’s Note: Here’s to all of the NESCAC baseball players who didn’t come here to play school. Heading into the baseball season, we wanted to give an update on which players played in competitive summer leagues and the standouts from each league from nearly all of the teams (Sorry, Colby Mules, we literally found no information on your players in summerball, so I guess you did go there to play school). We would also like to welcome a new writer, Max Stamler of the Middlebury D1 Alpine Ski Team, to our writing team.

As Baseball season nears its time to continue to make predictions for the upcoming season. We have already previewed NBN’s preseason choices for player and pitcher of the year but we also wanted to highlight some big-time summer-ball seasons that players from all around the ‘cac had. They will be looking to continue their success from the summer season to having big time impacts for their squads this spring.

Wesleyan LHP Mike McCaffrey

Wesleyan’s Mike McCaffrey earned an All-Star selection in the FCBL.

McCaffrey played this summer for the Brocton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). He appeared in 8 games and posted a 2-2 record with a 1.46 ERA. This performance earned him a spot in the FCBL All-Star game stacked with mostly Division 1 players. McCaffrey’s success pitching this past summer in a highly competitive league should give him the confidence he needs to make that next step in this seasons NESCAC play as he looks to lead Wesleyan into the playoffs in a strong West division.

Trinity C Alex Rodriguez

The reigning NESCAC Co-Rookie of the year turned in a strong summer league season in the NECBL, one of the top leagues in the nation. Rodriguez batted .342, had a slugging percentage of .465 and knocked in 23 runs on his way to leading the Valley Blue Sox to the NECBL title, the first ever for the franchise. After breaking out in his first season, he looks to lead a Bantam team to home field advantage in their new stadium for the NESCAC playoffs after they narrowly missed the postseason in 2017.

Hamilton C Craig Sandford

Another NESCAC catcher with a successful summer season was Craig Sandford of Hamilton, playing for the Sherrill Silversmiths of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL). Sandford appeared in 30 games hitting .354 with 12 RBI’s and 3 homeruns while earning a spot in the All-Star game. Sandford should see the bulk of the playing time and be a leader for a Continental team that is rebuilding following the loss of the majority of their starting lineups.

Williams 2B Jack Roberts

Roberts played for his hometown Martha’s Vineyard Sharks of the FCBL this past summer and the his team was definitely happy he chose to stay home. Roberts appeared in 47 games, hitting .374 with 28 RBI’s and 3 home runs. He was perhaps the biggest NESCAC contributor over the summer, and his 65 hits and 174 AB’s were both team highs. Not surprisingly, Roberts performance was rewarded with a selection in the All-Star game alongside many Division 1 players. He was statistically the best player on a team loaded with guys from Vanderbilt, UConn, Kansas, and Notre Dame and will be the cornerstone for the Ephs along with SS Kellen Hatheway.

Bates LHP Connor Russell

One of Bates only players to participate in summer ball, Russell started 5 games for the Seacoast Mavericks in the FCBL wining 1 of those appearances with a 4.15 ERA. He played this past summer alongside Middlebury RHPs Conor Himstead and Colby Morris and might just face them in the playoffs again in 2018. Russell and the Bobcats are already off to a tough start this season, going 0-6 during their trip to California and need to get their bats hot to compete. Russell is more of a pitch to contact, veteran style pitcher and will find a way to get outs this year no matter the level of offensive support he gets.

Tufts 1B/3B Nick Falkson

Falkson appeared in 43 games for the North Shore Navigators of the FCBL at 3B hitting .273 with 19 RBI’s. He also drew 21 walks over the summer which ranked third on the team. Falkson returns to a Tuft’s team looking to defend the NESCAC title and make a run deep into NCAA tournament in his final year as a Jumbo. After playing 3B this summer, the Jumbos might have a competition at the hot corner as senior 3B Tommy O’Hara has started there for three straight years but saw limited time there over the summer for the Brockton Rox.

Tufts’ Nick Falkson looks to improve on his 2017 POY season after a strong summer in the FCBL.

Amherst SS Harry Roberson

Roberson joined the Nashua Silver Knights of the FCBL partway through the summer after a brief stint in the famed Cape Cod League and proved to be a key contributor in their lineup for the second half of the summer. In 30 games, Roberson hit .308 with 7 doubles and 17 RBI’s. In the last 9 games of the year, Roberson hit just below .500 as the Silver Knights won 6 of their last 9 to win the FCBL championship. Roberson looks to keep this form heading into his final collegiate season and has an outside shot to keep playing after college.

Middlebury CF Sam Graf

Unlike many of his NESCAC peers, Graf traveled outside of the Northeast for his summer season where he played for the Suffolk Fightin’ Crabs of the new short season Virginia Beach Collegiate League. Graf slugged .520 and had 23 RBI’s, both of which ranked him in the top 5 in the league and earned him a spot in the All-Star Game. Graf, coming off a semester in Chile swinging sticks instead of bats (for more information on his semester check out https://cbscout.net/2018/02/18/the-journey-colby-morris-sam-graf/), looks to lead a Middlebury squad into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006.

Bowdoin RHP/OF Jack Wilhoite

Wilhoite led the North Shore Storm of the North Shore Baseball League (NSBL) into the playoffs over the past summer hitting .304 with 14 RBI’s in 19 games while also pitching in 4 games. In just 12 innings pitched, Wilhoite struck out an impressive 16 batters. The Polar Bear’s dynamic player looks to have a bigger impact this spring after just throwing 10.1 innings in 2017. He did strike out 22 hitters last season though, so he is the favorite to close games this year.

A New Frontier: Men’s Basketball Stock Report 2/19

Stock Up

Amherst F Johnny McCarthy ‘18

Johnny McCarthy ’18 (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)

It’s been a bit of an up and down year for McCarthy. After three years of being underrated because of Jayde Dawson’s ball dominance. In fact, he was so underrated that he entered this season a little overrated. Like Amherst as a whole, he struggled during the regular season, and for a while it seemed like he just wasn’t suited to be a number one option. But as he improved, so did Amherst. McCarthy reinvented himself as a dominant rebounder, defender and paint scorer. And, as he has done so many times over the course of his career, he saved his best for the biggest moments. With Amherst facing a challenge from the 8 seeded Bowdoin Polar Bears in the first round, McCarthy had his best game of the year. He scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. He also hit the second biggest shot of the game, a 30 footer after a broken play that put Amherst up by four in the final minutes. McCarthy and Amherst are peaking at the right time, and really, did we expect anything different?

Jordan Sears ‘19 for DPOY

I like to think that Sears read our pick of Folger, printed it out, put it up in his locker, and then read it again right before Wesleyan’s game against Middlebury. He looked like a man possessed against Middlebury, blocking eight shots (!) and snuffing out countless pick and rolls with incredible perimeter defense. Sears had four blocks in the final five minutes or so of the game, effectively snuffing out any hope Middlebury had of coming back. Sears is the definition of a difference making defender, and his performance against Middlebury pretty much guarantees him the DPOY trophy.

Jordan Sears ’19 owned the Panthers on Saturday to the degree that he is actually now President of Middlebury College.

NCAA Representation

Last season, the NESCAC had five teams gain NCAA berths for the first time in conference history. The results this weekend are steps in the direction repeating that performance, and even make six teams a distinct possibility. Now bear with me, because this gets a little confusing. NCAA berths are decided based on the NCAA Regional Rankings, NOT the D3 Hoops Top 25. The regional rankings can be found here. As you can see, the top four teams in Northeast are all NESCAC teams. In order, they are Hamilton, Wesleyan, Williams and Middlebury. These four teams were pretty much assured of NCAA bids, regardless of their quarterfinal games. Middlebury and Wesleyan were basically playing for a home game, and Williams and Hamilton were entirely safe. Amherst was the question mark. They entered the quarterfinals eighth in the regional rankings. This is a shaky position. They certainly needed a win over Bowdoin to keep their hopes alive, but they are still on the bubble to certain degree. Their performance in the final regular season weekend, along with their win over Bowdoin, should get them a berth, giving the NESCAC, again, five NCAA teams.

Stock Down

Tufts

The Jumbos were 11th in the regional rankings. This is not a complicated position; they basically needed to win the NESCAC tournament, or AT LEAST make the final, to sneak into the NCAA’s. Their loss to Hamilton ends their season, and the excellent career of Vincent Pace ’18. Pace deserves a great deal of credit for persevering despite one of the more unlucky careers of any star in recent NESCAC memory. After a solid first season, he was dominant during his sophomore campaign, averaging 17 points per game on 50% shooting. It looked like he and Tufts were going to ride the combo of he, Hunter Sabety and Tom Palleschi to NESCAC dominance. Then Sabety transferred, and Pace suffered a nagging injury in practice that affected him for his whole junior year. His numbers fell in every catagory, and another injury to Tom Palleschi set back what was a very strong squad. And then this season, Tufts never really got going, and again struggled with injuries, to crucial bench scorers KJ Garrett ’19 and Ben Engvall ’18. Tufts, and Pace, are one of the great “what-ifs” in recent NESCAC history, but their saga is over for this season.

First Years

Many of the top first years in the conference found out that tournament ball is very different from even regular season NESCAC play. Middlebury’s Jack Farrell ’21, after a breakout 22 point game against Amherst during the final weekend, was locked up by the Cardinals to the tune of 0 points on 0-4 shooting. However, Austin Hutcherson ’21 of Wesleyan wasn’t much better, putting up 9 points on 2-10 shooting. And Amherst’s standout PG Grant Robinson ’21 was invisible, tallying three points on 1-3 shooting. All of these players looked a little taken aback at the physicality and intensity of tournament play, a very normal feeling for first years. A notable exception was Bowdoin’s underrated (but not by this blog, we love him) PG Zavier Rucker ’21, who scored 11 points and added 7 rebounds and six assists. Hutcherson is still, in my mind, the easy pick for Rookie of the Year, but it was interesting to see how all these players struggled in the their first playoff experience, and how Rucker very much did not.

Zavier Rucker ’21 was by far the most comfortable first year last weekend, and looks like a star in the making.

Entering the Belly of the Beast: Trinity @ Williams NESCAC Quarterfinal Preview

Trinity (15-9, 4-6) @ #9 Williams (19-5, 7-3), 7:00 PM, Williamstown, MA

Overview:

After a wild weekend of NESCAC basketball, Trinity limped into the playoffs as the #7 seed and Williams, like Middlebury, fell to the now #1 seeded Amherst Mammoths, dropping them in conference and in the national rankings. Obviously there is a big gap between Bowdoin and Trinity, the #7 and #8 teams in these playoffs and the top six teams. Bowdoin and Trinity combine for an 8-12 conference record (each 4-6 in conference), while the top six teams are all above .500. So, nabbing the #2 seed actually holds a lot of weight for the Ephs even though they missed out on hosting the NESCAC tournament (unless Amherst blows it against Bowdoin).

Kyle Padmore ’20 and his Trinity squad needs to play out of their minds to have a chance to win.

Trinity was on a bit of a hot streak entering last weekend, knocking off Wesleyan 73-60 and losing to Middlebury by just six (87-81), but fell flat against both Tufts (76-71) and Bates (65-48) who is now in their offseason. The Bantams had 17 turnovers in their game against the Bobcats, five over their season average. They were outscored by 12 in the second half and were destined for defeat thanks to a 12-13 free throw shooting performance from their opponent. They will need to play more disciplined basketball and shoot how they did against Wesleyan (9-18 3-PT) to have a chance against Williams. Williams, similarly, had won five in a row and 7/8 games before they lost a game they were expected to win against Amherst. They lost by a score of 72-57 to the Mammoths and shot just 27.6% from deep, much lower than their 35.8% season average that ranks third in the NESCAC. They shot just 33.9% overall in the game and didn’t have a single player haul in more than six boards.

Trinity X-Factor: Donald Jorden ‘21

Eric Gendron is going to need to play the game of his career for the Bantams to win—there is no denying that. But he can’t win the game alone. He will need members of his supporting cast, namely Donald Jorden, a first-year bench player, to come up clutch in a key situation to keep this Trinity team in contention. Although he only averages 4 PPG on the season, he has shot 16-19 in his last four games, tallying 16 points against Wesleyan in the Bantams’ best win of the year. If he can play an equally big role and everything else goes perfectly, then Trinity could have a chance to upset the #9 team in the country—if they don’t show up to play at all.

Williams X-Factor: Bobby Casey

While James Heskett is a potential player of the year, Casey has been the MVP of their last two games. The senior has scored a combined 53 points in his games against Amherst and Hamilton, shooting 16-30 total and a blistering 10-18 from deep. He is averaging 16.1 points per game on the season but really broke out right before the playoffs. If he plays anything like he did against Hamilton (31 points, 7-10 3-PT), then the Ephs should control this game from start to finish.

Final Thoughts:

It is no secret that Trinity is the heavy underdog in this game as they already lost 75-58 in their meeting earlier this year. Williams is deeper, has played better against better teams, and obviously has a better record. They are playing at home and are comfortable with their position, hoping to snag a home weekend in the semis if Bowdoin can upset Wesleyan. Trinity should be weary but know that they have nothing to lose.

Williams has few holes, but Cole Teal’s shooting of late hasn’t made his teammates celebrate like they are in this picture.

Some things to note for this game are that Williams has a struggling player in their starting lineup and could lead to a double team on defense on either Bobby Casey or James Heskett. This flawed player is Cole Teal who has shot 1-17 in his last two games. You read that right. 1-17. That isn’t good and certainly contributed to Williams’ loss against Amherst. That kind of inefficiency led to many wasted possessions for the Ephs and if the Bantams are on fire—as they need to be—it could certainly play into an upset factor.

Even though on the season Williams is also ever so slightly better defensively than Trinity, racking up 0.2 more rebounds per game and 0.4 more steals per game on average than the Bantams. This is another reason that Donald Jorden could come in to be a key player as he racked up 10 rebounds in his big game against Wesleyan, as many as any Williams player has had combined in their last two games. Williams still has the edge by a large margin in this game, but Trinity could put up a fight in their best case scenario.

Writer’s Prediction: 79-64 Williams

A Whole New Season: Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals Preview

The playoffs are here! As everyone anticipated prior to the season, Amherst is the top seed. However, a game always starts at 0-0, and the playoffs are no different. Anybody can win. Let’s look briefly at this weekend’s quarterfinal matchups.

1). #8 Trinity vs #1 Amherst

Courtney Erickson ’19 (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)

It is hard for me to pick Trinity in this matchup. Everything favors Amherst. Amherst is undefeated; Amherst is at home; Amherst is the number one team in the country. Don’t sleep on Bantams junior forward Courtney Erickson. She leads the Bantams in points, and has logged a ton of minutes for the team. Furthermore, she’s an incredibly efficient scoring–shooting above fifty percent from the field. Amherst, however, has an arsenal of weapons. Sophomore guard Madeline Eck has shown that she is held and shoulders that she’s the best player on the court. She’s one of the leaders in points, and facilitates the offense well.

Prediction: Amherst 60-45

2). #7 Williams vs #2 Bowdoin

Abby Kelly ’19
(Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

Bowdoin really bounced back after a tough loss to Amherst midway through the season. The Polar Bears were one of the only teams this season to give the Mammoths a real challenge, as their high powered offense almost broke down Amherst’s defense. Bowdoin obviously turned the page without losing another game. Bowdoin averages an almost 82 points per game. That number is incredible in college basketball. Their high octane attack is led by Junior guard Abby Kelly, who comes off the bench but is as good a scorer as there is in the league. Williams, on the other hand, will pose a serious threat. The team is led by senior forward Kristin Fechtelkotter. She is the main component of the offense, and hopes this won’t be her lsat game. Don’t sleep on Williams, but I’m picking Bowdoin in the hopes that they’ll meet Amherst in a classic final.

Prediction: Bowdoin 75-68

3). #6 Connecticut College vs #3 Tufts

The ‘Bos have had a rocky conference season by their standards. Losses to top teams Bowdoin and Amherst didn’t feel great, but nonetheless, they’re here again in the playoffs. Anything can happen. They’re second in the conference behind Bowdoin in points, so I’m sure they’ll put up the numbers this weekend. Conn College, on the other hand, is the wildcard in this scenario. They’re not as seasoned as the top three teams, but that could be a good thing because they’re not intimidated. They score a lot of points, third in the ‘Cac’, and will provide an offensive show. I believe it’s destiny that Tufts will end up in the top three, though.

Prediction: Tufts 60-52

Tufts’ Melissa Baptista ’18 has a solid POY case, and will lead the Jumbos into the tournament.

4). #4 Middlebury vs #5 Wesleyan

“He’s such a homer! He’s such a homer!” Get over it. I’m going with the Cards here. You know why? Because I watch sports to have fun, and enjoy it. Do I think Midd is the better team? Yes? But what’s the fun in picking the enemy over your own team. I’m rolling with Wes on this one because I believe senior forward Maddie Bledsoe will dominate the paint, and control the time of possession. I don’t care that Wes has to travel to the sticks in granola country. Go Wes. (Editor’s Note: Go Panthers.)

Prediction: Wesleyan 55-51

Playoff Time: Men’s Basketball Stock Report 1/13

I may sound like I’m beating a dead horse when I say, yet again, that the NESCAC is crazy and anyone can beat anyone. Parity has been a recurring theme in NESCAC basketball over the years, and we love to talk about how exciting this makes the league. Well, the regular season has come to a close, and this parity reared its ugly head after this weekend when the dust settled and there were five teams tied for first place. Yes you read that right. The top FIVE teams finished at 7-3 in conference, and the only thing worse than having to deal with that is the fact that Amherst came out on top. Coach Hixon and the Mammoths grabbing the #1 seed feels a lot like Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide receiving the #1 seed – literally no one wants them to win besides them and their fans, yet here they are again. Not to say that they didn’t deserve it – the Mammoths had the best record against teams tied for the top spot – but this team hasn’t been the same type of dominant that past #1 Amherst teams have been. The lack of a true standout team is sure to make the postseason as exciting as ever, so let’s see who’s trending in the right direction as we move into playoff time:

Stock Up

Amherst

I’ll start with the obvious one: the Mammoths had two HUGE victories at home this weekend in convincing fashion that ultimately gave them the top spot in the league. Michael Riopel ’18 looked every bit the star they need to make a run in the postseason. He exploded for 19 points and 8 rebounds in the rivalry win over Williams, and followed that up with a 17-point, 7-rebound effort in which he went 9-9 from the line. Johnny McCarthy ’18 also continued his dominance as a rebounder, posting 8 and 14 boards respectively. This duo will have to continue to lead the way, providing experience to an otherwise unproven lineup. The key for Amherst, however, has been their defense. They stymied two of the league’s premier offenses, holding the Ephs to a jaw-dropping 57 points and keeping the Panthers at just 68. They lack the firepower to win a shootout, so their defense has to remain strong if they want to make a run, beginning this weekend when Bowdoin comes to town.

Wesleyan

Defeating Bowdoin and Colby isn’t a particularly impressive weekend, but the Cardinals did what a good team should do. The reason they fall in the “stock up” column this week is because it appears as though things are coming together at the right time in Middletown. After the loss to Trinity on February 2, Wesleyan was graced with the return of point guard Kevin O’Brien ’19, who had been out for almost a month with illness. They proceeded to dominate Amherst 71-57 in what was technically a non-conference affair, and then had convincing victories over the weaker teams in the league. Nathan Krill ’18 has been a force, delivering a 17-point, 10-rebound double double against Colby and dropping 24 points on Bowdoin. First year standout Austin Hutcherson has also stepped up his game in a big way, and he looks to continue to make an impact sharing the ball, as he posted 8 assists in each of their weekend matchup. Wesleyan hosts Middlebury in the 4-5 matchup of the NESCAC tournament. The Cardinals took down the Panthers in the regular season, but this is definitely a matchup to highlight for the weekend.

Williams G Bobby Casey ’19

I’ve talked about two of the Little Three schools, so why not mention the third? It seems that every week we find either James Heskett ’19 or Bobby Casey ’19, who have taken over as the dominant scorers in Williamstown. Well, this week it’s Casey’s turn. He seemed to be the lone bright spot in the loss at Amherst, putting up 22 points on 8-16 shooting. The next day in the big win over Hamilton, Casey went off for 31 points on 8-14, including 7-10 from behind the arc. When Casey gets hot, there is seemingly no way to stop him. The good news for Williams is that they also have Heskett ’19 who has a similar effect. If they’re both off, then the Ephs are in trouble. If they’re both on, then the rest of the league needs to watch out. They should have no trouble with Trinity in their first round matchup, but you never know because things can get crazy come tourney time.

When he’s hot, Bobby Casey ’19 is an absolute nightmare from downtown.

Stock Down

Middlebury

Heading into the weekend, Middlebury controlled their own destiny, needing a win to secure the top seed. They came up empty, with two somewhat demoralizing losses to Hamilton (102-83) and Amherst (80-68). The Panthers have been one of the top scoring teams in the conference all season, but their shots simply weren’t falling this weekend. They were ice cold from beyond the three-point line, and they now find themselves last in the NESCAC in three-point shooting percentage at 31%. The scoring drought needs to come to an end if the Panthers want to have any shot at winning their matchup with the tough Wesleyan defense this weekend. It starts with the leadership of Jack Daly ’18 and Matt Folger ’20, who are the team’s leading scorers. They were both average against Hamilton, and neither cracked double digits in the scoring column against Amherst. Middlebury is picking a bad time to go cold, but we’ll see if they can turn things around this weekend in their quarterfinal matchup.

Trinity

The Bantams are one of the streakiest teams out there. They’ve taken down Amherst and Wesleyan, but they’ve also lost to Bates and Colby. They struggled mightily this weekend, getting trounced by Bates, then dropping a tight contest to Tufts. They certainly lack a true star player, although Jeremy Arthur ’19 and Eric Gendron ’18 provide most of the scoring. There isn’t much to say about Trinity other than that they’re a scary first round matchup. If the shots are falling, they are very tough to beat because they play exceptional defense at times. They are essentially a giant question mark, but are definitely not to be taken lightly as they are capable of stealing a win in Williamstown.

Maine Schools

Well, it was a tough year for the three Maine schools who finished 7th, 9th, and 10th respectively. Bowdoin still has a chance to make a run, but all in all, the NESCAC’s northernmost schools were as cold as their weather. That said, these schools have shown promise. Bowdoin made the playoffs, and their best players are David Reynolds ’20, Jack Simonds ’19, Hugh O’Neil ’19, Jack Bors, and Zavier Rucker ’21. Bates narrowly missed a playoff birth, losing the three-way tie with Trinity and Bowdoin, and they are lead by Jeff Spellman ’20, Nick Gilpin ’20, Kody Greenhalgh ’20, Nick Lynch ’19, Tom Coyne ’20, and James Mortimer ’21. Colby only has two seniors (neither of whom play a huge amount of minutes) and two juniors (only one of whom plays a decent amount of minutes), so there are also lead by breakout underclassmen Sam Jefferson ’20, Dean Weiner ’19, Matt Hanna ’21, and Ethan Schlager ’20. Things looked a bit bleak this year, but this could potentially just be the calm before the storm for the CBB Consortium.