NESCAC East:
Bates (13-12, 6-3 NESCAC): Bates is currently riding high, sharing the top seed in the East with Tufts. The Bobcats were able to put themselves in this position through a hard-fought sweep of Trinity. Bates was able to get ahead early and put the Bantams away in games 1 and 3 of the series and put up a 4 run 7th inning in game 2 to complete a wild comeback. Next, Bates has to square off against Tufts, and this series may determine which one of them makes it into the playoffs. If Bates is able to win at least one game against Tufts, they will make the playoffs based on their head to head record against Trinity. Two wins or a sweep gets them the top spot in the East. It all comes down to these final 3 games for the Bobcats, so now is the time to get the job done.
Prediction: Bates finishes 7-5 in the NESCAC East and makes the playoffs as a 2-seed (tiebreaker vs Trinity).
Bowdoin (11-16, 4-5 NESCAC): Bowdoin started off their season hot, taking 2 of 3 from rival Bates, but since then the momentum just hasn’t been there for the Polar Bears. After losing their next 2 series to Trinity and Tufts, Bowdoin finds themselves sitting in 4th place in the NESCAC East. Even with a sweep of Colby this weekend, which is not too unlikely, both Tufts and Trinity hold the tiebreaker over Bowdoin so their playoff hopes have been officially eliminated.
Prediction: Bowdoin finishes 6-6 in the NESCAC and does not make the playoffs.
Colby (5-18, 1-8 NESCAC): Colby’s playoff hopes have been gone for quite some time, but after getting swept by Tufts they are officially out of playoff contention. They next play Bowdoin, who are also eliminated from playoff contention, in what has turned out to be a consolation series.
Prediction: Colby finishes 2-10 in the NESCAC and does not make the playoffs.
Trinity (14-13, 7-5 NESCAC): While Trinity is the first NESCAC team to have completed all of their league games, there is still a lot on the line for the Bantams this weekend. If either Tufts or Bates is able to sweep the other, or if Bates takes 2 of 3 from Tufts, the Bantams will be playoff bound. For Trinity all they can do now is watch, wait and pray. While the Bantams do have double headers against both Amherst and Midd this weekend, none of those games will count for their NESCAC record (which is a whole different issue to discuss), so the most important series for the Bantams this weekend will be taking place in Maine.
Trinity will make the playoffs with the following scenarios:
-If either team sweeps, resulting in one team finishing at 9-3 with the 1 seed, and the other at 6-6 with a 3rd place finish
-If Bates wins 2 of 3, Trinity will tie for 2nd with Tufts at 7-5, who they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over.
Trinity will be eliminated from the playoffs with the following scenarios:
-If Tufts wins 2 of 3, resulting in an 8-4 1st place finish for Tufts, and a 7-5 2nd place finish for Bates, who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Trinity.
This is obviously a really tricky situation for Trinity, as Tufts winning 2 would end their season, but Tufts winning 3 would extend it. Unfortunately for any Trinity fans, I would say that the most likely situation would be Tufts winning 2 of 3, but it is definitely possible with the way they are not only pitching, but hitting, that they could take all 3. I’m going to predict that Tufts and Bates, in that order, however, are the two teams to represent the East Division in the NESCAC tournament. What a difference a weekend can make.
Prediction: Trinity finishes 7-5 in the NESCAC and does not make the playoffs (tiebreaker vs Bates).
Tufts (15-12, 6-3 NESCAC): Tufts is currently red-hot, taking 3 games from Colby and scoring 56 runs in the process. The Jumbos seem to be gaining momentum at the right time, winning 6 of their last 7 NESCAC games heading into the end of the year. Next up they have the Bates squad with whom they are currently tied for 1st in the East. This series is crucial for the Jumbos because if they drop one to Bates, they will be eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2013. If Tufts manages to win the series they will be back in the playoffs and will have a shot at making it 3 straight NESCAC championships.
Prediction: Tufts will finish 8-4 in NESCAC and make the playoffs as the 1-seed.
NESCAC West:
Amherst (17-8, 6-2 NESCAC): With 4 NESCAC games remaining, Amherst is sitting pretty in 1st place in the West, with a comfortable lead on the rest of the division. If the Mammoths only win one of their next 4 games they still have a chance to make the playoffs but if they take 2 of their next 4 they are guaranteed in. Getting 2 wins in 3 games against Midd and 1 game against Hamilton should not be an issue for Amherst who has been rolling all year. Barring a sweep by Middlebury, Amherst should have no issue cruising into a 1-seed this year.
Prediction: Amherst will finish 9-3 and will make the playoffs as the 1-seed
Hamilton (15-14, 3-5 NESCAC): Hamilton has been lead this season by the strong performance of their freshman class. Matt Zaffino ‘21, Jarrett Lee ‘21 and Ethan Wallis ‘21 are the top three hitters in the Continental lineup, which should bode very well for the future of their program. For now however, Hamilton is sitting at 4th place in the West and has a tough road ahead of them if they want to find themselves in a playoff spot. After defeating #6 Cortland this week, Hamilton has a home series against Midd and then a final game against current 1-seed Amherst. Both of these matchups will be tough for the Continentals as Midd is coming off a sweep of Bowdoin and Amherst is looking to be the favorite to win the conference. Hamilton holds head-to-head advantage against Wesleyan, but not against Williams, who face each other this weekend. Hamilton still has a shot at the playoffs if they are able to take 3 or 4 of their final 4 games and Williams does not sweep Wesleyan. For now the Continentals will need to focus on what they can change, which is their own games, and hope that everything else goes their way.
Prediction: Hamilton will finish 4-8 and not make the playoffs.
Middlebury (10-13, 2-4 NESCAC): Believe it or not, Midd still has half of their NESCAC games to play. Although they might be sitting in last place in the West at the moment, it is certainly not impossible for the Panthers to pull themselves into a playoff spot. Coming up first for Midd is Hamilton, who dropped their most recent series to Williams 2 games to 1. Middlebury is most likely going to have to sweep this series in order to give themselves a chance to make playoffs. Coming off a sweep of Bowdoin, the momentum should be there for the Panthers, which will make them a tough squad for Hamilton to face. Second, Midd has to take on current 1-seed Amherst. This series will be the decider in whether Middlebury will make playoffs. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Midd will have to prove to the rest of the conference, and themselves, that they are playoff-worthy and taking down a powerful Mammoth team will be all the evidence they need.
Prediction: Middlebury will finish 5-7 and not make playoffs.
Wesleyan (17-11, 5-4 NESCAC): Wesleyan is sitting in 2nd place in the NESCAC West at the moment, but Williams is right on their heels. Luckily for the Cardinals, their next series is at home, where they are 7-2 this season, and it is against Williams. If Wesleyan is able to perform in crunch time the same way they have all season, they are a lock for the playoffs. Williams will have to face the three-headed monster of Mike McCaffrey ‘19, Alec Olmstead ‘20 and Kelvin Sosa ‘21. This trio is the same one that shut down Midd in their last series, and considering the fact that Midd tore through Williams, the Cardinals are the sure favorite in this series. If Wesleyan picks up 2 wins they should be home free, unless Midd happens to win all 6 of their remaining games or Hamilton wins all of their next 4. The Cardinals have their fate in their own hands right now and I very much expect them to use it to their advantage.
Prediction: Wesleyan will finish 7-5 and make the playoffs as the 2-seed.
Williams (8-16, 4-5 NESCAC): At the beginning of the year it seemed as if Williams was the favorite to end up in dead-last in the NESCAC, but they have managed to turn it around and find themselves with an opportunity to make the playoffs. After losing 2 of 3 games in both of their first series against Amherst and Midd, the Ephs were able to pick up a huge series win against Hamilton which put them in playoff contention and gives them the all-important tiebreaker against the Continentals. The formula for making the playoff for Williams is pretty simple, a series win against Wesleyan will put them in a very good spot. If they beat the Cardinals 2 games to 1, they will hold the tiebreaker against them and therefore be in 2nd place and make the playoffs. However they will still have to worry about Hamilton, who will pass the Ephs if the take 4 of their next 4, and Midd, who will pass them if they take 4 of their next 6. Although Williams has the ability to decide their fate, they have to face an extremely talented Wesleyan team on their home turf. Williams will have to pull off a pretty surprising upset to make playoffs, but crazier things have happened.
Prediction: Williams will finish 5-7 and not make playoffs