Tufts – Page 15 – Nothing But NESCAC

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 Terrific Trio: NESCAC Women’s Basketball Sweet Sixteen Preview

All three NESCAC women’s basketball teams crushed their opponents in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Amherst beat Becker by a score of 61-12 in the first round, an absolute slaughter. The going will inevitably get tougher as the teams keep advancing. Here’s a preview of the third round of the NCAA tournament:

#1 Amherst (27-0, 13-0) vs #22 Montclair State (23-3, 15-2)

Amherst’s victory over Becker was possibly the most decisive victory in NCAA history. Unfortunately, such a one-sided contest isn’t exactly a fan’s dream. Amherst’s offense has always been very solid, but its defense has proved why Amherst is the best team in the country. Becker was limited to 10% shooting, thirty turnovers, and zero second chance points. Strong defensive rebounding is one of the key characteristics of championship team. As opponents become stronger and stronger as new rounds come, limiting second chance points is crucial. Amherst has shown its strength of rebounding. They followed up that performance with only a six point win over St. Joseph’s of Maine. Amherst didn’t have a good day shooting the ball (34.6%), but they almost doubled St. Joe’s in second chance points.

Amherst proved they could grind out a win against St Joes, an important skill for a National Championship contender

Montclair State is a solid team. The contest will be close if they play Amherst like St. Joe’s. St. Joe’s made Amherst feel incredibly uncomfortable on the offensive end. However, if Amherst can keep rebounding efficiently, I don’t see how Montclair can beat them. Hannah Fox recorded a double double against St. Joe’s (18pts, 11rbs). She will need to play at that level or higher if Amherst wants to stay dominate.

Amherst: 62-51

#8 Tufts (25-4, 10-3) vs #15 Messiah (27-2, 15-1)

Tufts should have all the confidence in the world going into this game. They won decisively in each of their last two contests (Westfield State and Ithaca). As I said in an early season article, Melissa Baptista ’18 is the x factor for the Jumbos. If she plays well, they will be dominant. If her inside presence isn’t felt, however, Tufts will struggle to shoot above 40%. Against Ithaca, Baptista was dominant inside. She scored nineteen points. Her physicality and tenacity were too much for Itaca.

Melissa Baptista ’18 is Tufts’ key to a championship dream.

Tufts vs Messiah should be an interesting match up. Messiah is 27-2. Even though they don’t compete in the ultra-competitive NESCAC, their wins so far in the tournament all have been with a ten point or greater margin of victory. Tufts shouldn’t take them lightly. However, it’s incredibly hard to compare these two teams because they’ve played such different opponents so far. A 29-2 record is obviously an enormous accomplishment no matter what conference it occurred in. However, the NESCAC is such a strong conference that it’s almost impossible to pick against them in a game like this.

Look for coaching to play a major role in these final few rounds of the tournament. Jumbo coach Carla Berube has seen it all. A former player under Geno at the most dominant sports program in histrory, UConn, and now a successful coach in her own right. Tufts has battled the highs and lows all year. They lost decisively to Bowdoin early, and I thought the NESCAC would be a two team race to the finish—with Tufts being excluded. Anything can happen in these playoff games, but a good coach can make all the difference.

Tufts: 55-49

#5 Bowdoin (26-2, 10-2) vs # 10 Scranton (26-1, 13-1)

Out of all three games this weekend, I believe that this game will be the toughest for a NESCAC team. Bowdoin put up ninety-four points against Husson and seventy-nine against FDU. Bowdoin’s offensive potency is still nothing to be joked about. Scranton is a different animal than the first two opponents they’ve played thus far. Scranton is 28-1 on the season; they’re not afraid of Bowdoin. Again, Scranton doesn’t play any NESCAC schools, so Bowdoin has a strength of schedule advantage, but Scranton’s success this season is very impressive.

Bowdoin’s offense is their strength, but it could ultimately be their biggest weakness. This is because if they’re offense isn’t clicking, they may be unable to makeup for their usual output. The two losses that Bowdoin suffered this season were against Amherst and Tufts. Both teams understood that the key to Bowdoin’s success is its offense. When Bowdoin shoots lights out, the other team has to play from behind and on its heels. In those two losses, Bowdoin scored significantly under its average, and shot inefficiently from the field. Anything can happen in a playoff game. Some players can get really hot, while others are flat out cold. If Bowdoin has a cold shooting night like it did against Amherst and Tufts, Scranton could pull off the upset. Limiting Kate Kerrigan has to be a point of attention if Scranton has a shot at winning. She’s dominate both inside and out—posting a double-double in the playoff game against FDU. If Scranton can stop Kerrigan, however, look for Scranton to pull off the upset.

Kate Kerrigan ’18 is the most dominant single force left in the tournament, winning both POY and DPOY this year.

In the teams remaining, there are only two who can stop Kerrigan: Amherst and Tufts.

Bowdoin 75-63

Time to Take Care of Business: Women’s Basketball NCAA First Round Preview

Surprise, surprise. Amherst won the NESCAC for the second year in a row. Tufts knocked off potent Bowdoin to meet Amherst in the finals. Tufts lost to Amherst only by four points, which is actually an incredible feat. Earlier in the season, Amherst steamrolled them. Like I said in previous articles, Tufts knows how to play Amherst. The results haven’t gone Tufts’ way, but they always play a tough game every time they match up with Amherst. Amherst received the automatic bid by clinching the NESCAC crown, and Bowdoin and Tufts obtained at-large bids. Here’s a preview of the NCAA DIII first round match ups:

Westfield State vs Tufts

This shouldn’t be a tough game for the Jumbos. The ‘Bos have a far superior record and a significantly harder schedule than Westfield State. Tufts, however, has to avoid to tendency to overlook Westfield. Obviously they’re coming off an impressive weekend with an upset win over Bowdoin followed up by a nearly historic victory over Amherst. Junior guard Jac Knapp still is the core for the Jumbos. Her offensive statistics don’t jump off the paper, but she is logs by far the most minutes of any Jumbo. Her time on the floor is probably one of the highest in the country (33.6 min/g). This statistic represents a couple interesting aspects to it. First, her coach trusts her so much that she’s willing to play her at a rate that’s unprecedented. Coach wants her to be out there at all critical moments. She trusts that the offense and defense will always be executed by Knapp.

Jac Knapp ’20 does a little bit of everything for the Jumbos.

The defining statistic that in this game for me is the strength of schedule. Like I said in previous articles, NESCAC schools play a significantly harder schedule than non-NESCAC schools. It’s not that they play many more games, but that their opponents on a weekly basis are far stronger. Westfield lost to both Wesleyan and Trinity by double digits earlier in the season. Wesleyan and Trinity aren’t even in the tournament. This won’t be a rollover win for the ‘Bos, but Westfield shouldn’t pose much of a threat.

Tufts: 60-45

Becker vs Amherst

Cam Hendricks ’20 is a dangerous outside shooter, giving the Mammoths yet another weapon.

This game should be even easier for Amherst than Tufts’ game against Westfield. Amherst is all confidence as a result of this past weekend. Even though they only defeated Tufts in the championship by four points, I think it was really beneficial for Amherst to play a close game. Obviously the NESCAC crown is important, but for teams like Amherst, a national championship always outweighs a NESCAC championship. Amherst will likely have to play a close game in the coming weeks, so the mental toughness they showed to grind out a win against Tufts illustrates that they can do much more than blowout teams. Staying consistent with the minutes theme, sophomore G/F Cam Hendricks is logging the most minutes for Amherst. While she certainly doesn’t score at a proficiency like Hannah Fox or Madeline Eck, her coach trusts her out on the floor; her coach believes that she’s a difference maker. As a fan, I’m very curious to see how Hendricks is used down the stretch in critical games. Her coach put faith in her in the NESCAC playoffs and regular season, so I don’t see why anything would change. For the record, Becker lost to Colby–merely a mediocre NESCAC team— by THIRTY-SIX points in the regular season. They don’t have a chance.

Amherst: 70-28

Husson vs Bowdoin

Out of all the games involving NESCAC teams this weekend, this game is the only one that I could see being remotely close. I’m not going to even give credit to Husson here. Bowdoin has to be mentally down on themselves. They blew an opportunity to beat Amherst. They thought they could simply push over Tufts like they did earlier in the season. Bowdoin, however, got smacked by the Jumbos–losing by twelve points. The Polar Bears were held to forty-eight points, which is some of their lowest scoring all season. I could have seen Bowdoin beating Amherst in the NESCAC championship because they played them tight earlier in the year. If Bowdoin wants to be serious contenders again, they must blow out Husson. They need to repossess their offensive swagger. That starts with senior guard Kate Kerrigan. She has been the ignitor all year for the Polar Bears, and was just named Player of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year in the NESCAC. She’s a senior team leader, and must convey to the rest of their team that they can’t take any opponent lightly the rest of the way. For if they do, they will never get a date with destiny. Husson lost to Bates during the regular season by over ten points. THEY LOST TO BATES, the worst team in the ‘Cac. I’m not doubting Bowdoin here, but they must not doubt themselves either.

Kate Kerrigan ’18 is the most dangerous player in the league, and is the key to Bowdoin’s title chances.

Bowdoin 75-40

It’s Time for Madness: Men’s Basketball Postseason Awards Update

This past weekend the Ephs were crowned NESCAC champions, which was a pretty impressive feat given their tough battle with injuries this season. Postseason play is taken into account for the awards, and I believe a lot changed since Pete’s last awards update. I’m not saying the last preview was wrong, but Middlebury couldn’t make it past the first round of the NESCAC playoffs, and I think this affected the awards race more than he does. The actual awards should come out sometime this week, so keep an eye on that, but here are my picks, with grudging approval from Pete and the other writers.

POY: Williams F James Heskett ’19

After Kyle Scadlock ’19 went down with a torn ACL early in the season, we knew Williams would still be good. What we didn’t know, however, was who would step up into the lead scoring role. Bobby Casey ’19 helped mightily, but James Heskett ‘19 snatched the lead role. Heskett ’19 lead the NESCAC in points per game with 22.0 on 52.9% FG and 45.7% 3PT, both good for 6th in the league. He hauled in a respectable 4.3REB/G and dished out 2.3AST/G, which were both solid marks. But it is his tournament performance that sets him apart. He led the Ephs to the NESCAC championship, leading the team with 20.3PPG. His other stats weren’t eye-popping, but he only turned the ball over twice all tournament (both against Hamilton) and that’s very impressive for someone who handles the ball as much as he does. I put a lock of stock in winning, and I’m very impressed by the leader of a team who lost its best player stepping up and performing when it mattered.

James Heskett ’19 has been the league’s best scorer all season, and he kept it up in the tournament.

DPOY: Wesleyan G Jordan Sears ’18

Another change here largely resulting from postseason play. Sears had 2.0BLK/G (2nd in the league), 1.8STL/G (1st in the league), and he only committed 25 fouls in all of NESCAC play. These are ridiculously good numbers, and the fact that he grabs 5.5REB/G doesn’t hurt either. In the Cardinals’ first-round matchup with the Panthers, Sears blocked 8 shots (!!!) and also had a steal and 5 rebounds. He finished the tournament with solid numbers, but again, winning means a thing or two to me, so I believe that Wesleyan’s run to the title game makes Sears’ Defensive Player of the Year case the strongest. In that title game, he spent a large portion of his minutes matched with Heskett, and effectively handled Casey on several switches. Neither of those players had very efficient games, and Williams needed a huge game from Matt Karpowicz ’20 to pull off the win. Sears is a monster and this award is a no brainer.

Jordan Sears ’19 was a scary defender all year, and only got scarier when he put on the mask.

Coach of the Year: Kevin App, Williams

Pete covered this last week, but Kevin App only locked up his bid for Coach of the Year by winning the championship game with relative ease, after two tight matchups to open the playoffs. There still seems to be an App for everything, but we’ll see if there’s an App for getting back to the Final Four where they found themselves just one year ago.

Rookie of the Year: Wesleyan G Austin Hutcherson ‘21

Hutcherson struggled a bit in the tournament, only posted scores of 9, 4, and 7, while grabbing 3, 6, and 4 rebounds while turning the ball over a total of 6 times throughout the tournament. Had Bowdoin pulled off the upset of Amherst in the quarterfinals, their PG Zavier Rucker ’21 would have had a great case, but alas, they did not. And Hutcherson’s performance in the regular season was extremely impressive. He didn’t play exceptionally poorly in the tournament, especially for a first year, and I still believe he will take home the Rookie of the Year Award. Keep an eye on his performance because he will need to elevate his game if Wesleyan wants to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

As first years do, Hutcherson struggled in the playoffs, but his regular season performance was too hard to ignore.

First Team All-NESCAC:

In my opinion, nothing changes here. Vincent Pace ’18 put up a monster game in the first round against Hamilton (22 points, 11 rebounds) but didn’t get the help he needed. Gilmour ’20 was a stud in the postseason, putting up 29 points and 12 rebounds against Tufts, then 20 points and 9 rebounds against Williams. Oh, and he did all that while shooting 51% from the field. Jack Daly ’18 was 7th in the league in points per game (14.9), 1st in assists per game (8.0), 2nd in rebounds per game (8.6), 3rd in steals per game, and 1st in minutes per game. Bobby Casey ’19 didn’t look too convincing in the postseason, but he was too big all year for the Ephs to not be on this list. With Heskett ’19 as POY, these 5 seem to be locks for first team.

Middlebury G Jack Daly ‘18 (15.7 PTS/G, 8.3 REB/G, 8.5 AST/G, 1.8 STL/G)

Hamilton G Kena Gilmour ‘20 (17.4 PPG, 7.0 REB/G, 1.7 STL/G, 46.4 FG)

Williams G Bobby Casey ‘19 (16.1 PPG, 48% FG, 44.1% 3FG)

Tufts G/F Vincent Pace ‘18 (18.4 PPG, 8.2 REB/G, 2.7 AST/G)

Williams F James Heskett ‘19 (19.4 PPG, 3.9 REB/G, 52.6% FG, 45.6% 3FG)

Second Team All-NESCAC

Amherst G Johnny McCarthy ’18 (11.0 PTS/G, 7.8 REB/G, 2.9 AST/G, 1.1 STL/G)

Wesleyan G Jordan Bonner ’19 (15.6 PTS/G, 5.0 REB/G, 36.7 3FG)

Bowdoin F David Reynolds ’20 (15.8 PTS/G, 47.5% FG, 43.9% 3FG)

Hamilton F Michael Grassey ’19 (13.7 PPG, 6.7 REB/G, 50.7% FG, 42% 3FG)

Middlebury F Matt Folger ’20 (14.0 PTS/G, 7.1 REB/G, 2.3 BLK/G)

The Final Four: Women’s Basketball Semifinal Preview

And then there were four. The final four for NESCAC women’s basketball is set. The usual suspects are present: Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts, and Wesleyan. Last weekend’s match ups produced blowouts, so many of the games weren’t really entertaining. This week should be different. Let’s look at the preview:

Wesleyan (17-7, 5-5, 5th Seed) vs Amherst (25-0, 10-0 #1 Seed), Amherst, MA, 1PM

Maddie Bledsoe ’18 (courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)

Wesleyan pulled off an upset win over Middlebury last weekend. The Cards rolled up to Vermont, and stole the show. As always, Maddie Bledsoe stole the show. She recorded a monster double-double (22 pts, 11 rebs), and carried the team like she has all year long. A point of concern, however, is that Wesleyan’s bench only contributed two points the entire afternoon. That abysmal statistic will not fly if the Cards want to know off Amherst. Amherst, of course, comes into Saturday afternoon undefeated. They’re always one of the best teams in the country year in and year out. Hannah Fox led all scorers in the game against Trinity last weekend with 17 points along with five steals. Similar to Wesleyan, Amherst only posted three bench points, but dominated the paint. These two teams are a good match for each other, because they both focus a lot of attention on the paint.

This game is going to be closer than people think. This Amherst team is unbeaten, yes, but they are not unbeatable. Their bench can be shaky, as I mentioned above, and this matchup could be tough for them because Wesleyan has the size and athleticism to handle the Mammoths in the paint. The playoffs implications create an opportunity for the underdog to rise up. So, with all that said, I’m gonna pick the huge upset.

Score prediction: Wesleyan 60-58

(Editor’s Note: Absolutely no chance, but we love Andrew’s enthusiasm.)

Tufts (22-3, 8-2 #3 Seed) vs Bowdoin (24-1, 9-1 #2 Seed) Amherst, MA, 3PM

This game is going to be one of the best games all season. Bowdoin already smack Tufts, but that was in January. Playoff basketball is different than regular season games. The intensity is up. Bowdoin absolutely throttled Williams last weekend. Kate Kerrigan led the scoring with 16 points, and Abby Kelly dished out five assists. Bowdoin dominated the inside game—much of their 77 points came from inside the paint. Bowdoin’s depth was on display too with 36 bench points. Tufts, on the other hand, smacked Conn College. The Jumbo defense was on full display—only allow the Camels to shoot 34% from the field. The Bo’s also forced seventeen Camel turnovers, and converted them into points. As always, Melissa Baptista was a force inside. She notched 21 points in the decisive victory. Both of these teams are high scoring; however, Bowdoin has proved that they’re special this year.

Kate Kerrigan ’18 will be looking to lead Bowdoin to another win over Tufts.

Score prediction: Bowdoin: 75-70

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.

Anything Can Happen: Tufts @ Hamilton Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal Preview

Tufts (17-7, 6-4) @ #15 Hamilton (21-3, 7-3), 3:00 PM, Clinton, NY

It’s finally time for the madness that is the NESCAC tournament. Last season we saw the title game between Middlebury (the #2 seed) and Williams (the #6 seed), which shows that really anything can happen. Only adding to the chaos is the fact that 5 teams tied for first place this season, giving Middlebury a road game in the first round despite being tied for first, and giving Tufts the #6 seed despite being just a single game out of first place. Many people (or just me) have likened the NESCAC tournament to FIFA’s Euro Cup – it is a smaller tournament that only covers one region, yet many people argue that it is more difficult to win the Euro Cup than the FIFA World Cup because the Euro Cup boasts a much deeper pool of teams. I would argue that the same could be said about the NESCAC – the conference consistently has more tournament teams than anyone else, and the conference tournament is certainly deeper top to bottom than the NCAA Division III tournament. As a result, the first round games are just as exciting as the later round games, especially in a season where the teams are so evenly matched. The opening round game between #3 Hamilton and #6 Tufts is one to highlight, as this season has been a bit of a role reversal for both teams:

Overview:

Hamilton comes into the matchup at #15 in the nation after finishing the season at an outstanding 21-3 mark, including 7-3 in conference play. The Continentals got off to a blistering start, coming out of the gates at 14-0 before suffering a bad loss to the eventual #1 seed Amherst. They dropped games to Bowdoin and Williams as well, placing them in the midst of the 5-way tie. In their first meeting, Hamilton traveled to Medford and handed it to the Jumbos in a 74-57 drubbing in an incredibly ugly shooting game. The star for Hamilton, sophomore Kena Gilmour ’20, had a modest game in the first meeting, netting 10 points on 2-9 shooting, while hauling in 9 boards. As a team, the Continentals lead the NESCAC in points per game (87.4), steals per game (8.8), and turnovers forced per game (18.4). This means that Hamilton will look to run and speed up the game, because the higher the score goes, the better their chances.

Kena Gilmour ’20 is becoming a star right before our eyes, but can he do it in his first playoff experience?

The story for Tufts this season has been a bit different. Although they were just a game out of first place, they finished with the #6 seed – their lowest finish since 2013-2014. What’s interesting is that had Tufts not dropped their meeting with Bates, they would have entered into a 6-way tie for first place, which is crazy to think about. Either way, here we are, with this intriguing matchup. In their regular season game with Hamilton, Vincent Pace ’18, the unquestioned star for Tufts, only put up 12 points and 6 rebounds on 3-14 from the field and 1-8 from deep. These numbers are nothing in comparison to his season line of 17.6PPG, 8.3REB/G, 40% FG. The real issue for the Jumbos was that they were outrebounded by Hamilton, 49-38. While Hamilton may have one of the biggest lineups in the league, Tufts has to be better keeping them off the boards if they want to have a chance in this one. Tufts also shot an abysmal 24% from the field, which will likely improve in this contest.

Hamilton X-Factor: F Michael Grassey ’19

The Continental lineup is stacked with scorers, and Grassey is one of them. He has had a very consistent presence all season, averaging 13.7PPG, 6.7REB/G, 50.7% FG, 42.2% 3PT. What sets Grassey apart is that he has the ability to really go off, in addition to being a consistent scoring threat. He has had three 20-plus point performances (27 vs. Conn College, 29 vs. Cazenovia, 24 vs. Utica) and can get REALLY hot from downtown. In those three games combined, he went 16-22 from behind the arc. At 6’4”, 205lbs, he is tall enough to shoot over guards, and his size makes him a prolific rebounder. Hamilton has many weapons, but if Michael Grassey ’19 can put up a big performance, they are nearly impossible to beat.

Tufts X-Factor: duo of C Luke Rogers ’21 and C Patrick Racy ’20

Patrick Racy ’20 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)

As I mentioned before, Tufts struggled on the rebounding side in their first meeting with Hamilton. Guards Vincent Pace ‘18, KJ Garrett ‘18, and Everett Dayton ‘18 provide the majority of the Jumbos’ rebounding, despite them having two large centers in their rotation. This game for Tufts will be decided by this duo because with Rogers standing at

Luke Rogers ’21 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)

6’8”, 230lbs and Racy at 6’7”, 215lbs, they are huge presences in the paint. They have similar stat lines – about 5PPG, 4.5REB/G, 45% FG – and each play just under 20 minutes per game. This means that they have a similar effect, so Coach Sheldon has the option of playing them separately to always have one on the court at all times, or they could go big and put them both on the floor to match Hamilton’s size. Either way, I expect these centers to have a much larger impact in this one.

Final Thoughts:

I have to admit, all signs seem to point to Hamilton in this one. They crushed the Jumbos in their first matchup in Medford, and have seemed to play better, consistent basketball this season. This will likely be a high scoring game with the Continentals and Jumbos having the 1st and 3rd highest scoring offenses respectively. Hamilton shoots a much higher percentage from the floor, from three-point land, and from the charity stripe, which obviously gives them a huge edge. I praise the Continentals, but I have a weird feeling about this one. Their lineup is still a bit young and unproven in the postseason, and NESCAC basketball is just really weird. Vincent Pace ’18 is an absolute winner, and has proven himself capable of putting up huge performances, as he displayed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season when he put up 37 points. Hamilton may be 21-3 and #15 in the nation, but for some reason I’m not completely sold on them so I have to go with my gut feeling here. The #6 seed means nothing to the Jumbos and I believe that Pace and co. have a little bit of tourney magic in them to steal a win from the hands of the Continentals.

Vincent Pace ’18 has several clutch performances under his belt, and we think his biggest one is yet to come.

Writers Pick: Tufts 86-81

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