Colby Morris – Nothing But NESCAC

Students of the Game: Checking in with Former NESCAC Athletes in the Pros

With summer in full effect I’m sure no one has thought about NESCAC sports in quite a while. Well, here at NbN we’re always thinking about NESCAC sports so the summer is no time to slack off. With that being said, there are no NESCAC sports being played at the moment so this article will focus on those athletes lucky enough to be able to continue their careers beyond the collegiate level. We decided it would be worth checking in to see how each of the athletes is doing at the professional level to take a look at how the NESCAC fares amongst the very best. Please don’t be offended if I left someone out (we all know how NESCAC students love getting offended), but these were the only people I could find enough info on to write about.

Marcus Delpeche ’17 (Bates basketball)

It was no secret that the Delpeche brothers would see success at a higher level than the NESCAC. You could tell as soon as they set foot in the gym. Most Division III basketball teams don’t feature a 6’8”, 230-pound, athletic, muscular power forward on their roster, let alone two. How Coach Furbush convinced those guys to come to Lewiston is beyond me, but hindsight is 20/20 and it’s easy to see now how their development at Bates was crucial to taking their basketball careers to the next level. Marcus began his professional career with the Grevenbroich Elephants in the fourth tier of German basketball, posting 11.5 points per game while hauling in 5.3 rebounds in his rookie season. He then proceeded to sign with the Bristol Flyers of the British Basketball League, where he appeared in 33 games (including 15 starts) while putting up 7.8 points per game on 52% shooting and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game in the process. Marcus re-signed with the Flyers earlier this month and he’ll be under contract until the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season.

Malcolm Delpeche ’17 (Bates basketball)

Like his brother, Malcolm started his career with the Grevenbroich Elephants, where he put up 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for a team that finished the season 21-3. This performance earned Malcolm a spot on the WWU Baskets Muenster of the German Pro B League – the third tier of German basketball. Here he continued to see success, starting 28 of the 31 games he appeared in while recording 12 points (on 55% shooting), 7.2 rebounds, and 1 block per game. His team finished as the league runner-up. He, too, has extended his contract another season so we can expect to hear more about his success from across the pond.

Drew Fischer ’?? (Amherst baseball)

Fischer has had quite the career to this point. He didn’t play much (for someone who ended up getting drafted) during his freshman or sophomore year at Amherst while battling injury, then put together an outstanding junior season on an innings limit. What caught the eyes of scouts was that he had a projectable frame (6’3”, 210lbs) and he lit up the radar gun with his fastball reaching as high as 95mph while in college. When he was selected after his junior year in the 35^th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates they knew he’d be a bit of a project with slight control issues, but they were willing to take a chance. So far that chance has paid off as Fischer has slowly been climbing the ranks in the Pirates’ farm system. Here are his stats from each of his first three seasons in the minor leagues:

2017 short-season rookie ball with the Bristol Pirates:

3-1, 5.00 ERA, 27 IP, 28 H, 20 BB, 31 K, 1.78 WHIP

2018 class A with the West Virginia Power:

2-2, 3.83 ERA, 44.2 IP, 41 H, 20 BB, 50 K, 1.37 WHIP

2019 high A with the Bradenton Marauders:

0-1, 2.89 ERA, 9.1 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 1.18 WHIP

The 23 year-old has been improving every year with a lower walk rate, a higher strikeout rate, and a lower ERA to prove it. He is currently on the 7-day injured list in high A so his sample size is small for this season, but there’s clearly a trend here. If Fischer can stay healthy then it’s clear that his stuff will get him a long way.

Kellen Hatheway ’19 (Williams baseball)

Hatheway is one of the two youngest former NESCAC players currently playing professional sports. The 2019 Williams grad made his first NESCAC Tournament this past season after a very successful career as an Eph. He had a standout power year during his senior campaign hitting a career-high 5 home runs, two of which came in the NESCAC Tournament against Bates. He has continued that power streak into the summer, where he is playing for the Alpine Cowboys of the Pecos League of Independent Professional Baseball. Through just 16 games Hatheway already has 4 homers and 12 RBI, while hitting .242 and playing shortstop. Hopefully he’ll be able to stay hot and continue to impress scouts with his tremendous tools as a ballplayer.

Stephen Hauschka ’07 (Middlebury football)

This one is much different from all the others on this list. Stephen Hauschka has put together an incredibly successful career in the NFL with 5 different teams, most notably the Seattle Seahawks with whom he won a Super Bowl. His story, however, is worth talking about because he came to Middlebury with the intention of joining the soccer team. After he was cut his freshman year, his friends urged him to try out as a kicker for the football team the following fall. He made the team and completed his final 3 years in Vermont as the team’s starting kicker. With one year of eligibility left after graduation, he became a graduate transfer at North Carolina State where he was the starting kicker. His success there drew attention from NFL teams and the rest is history. Hauschka has a career field goal percentage of 86.4% (242-280) in the NFL and his career long is 58 yards. He is currently a member of the Buffalo Bills who he has been with since 2017.

Lucas Hausman ’16 (Bowdoin basketball)

The 2015 NESCAC Player of the Year has already had a successful career overseas. Hausman began his career in 2016-2017 with Basket Villa de Mieres in the fourth tier of the Spanish Basketball League. In 2017-2018 he found his way to CB Marbella, also in the fourth tier of the Spanish League, however Hausman’s first team all-tournament performance in the postseason help them earn a spot in the third tier heading into the following season. He finished the season averaging 13.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 55% from the field and 38.3% from behind the arc. Hausman’s early success helped him earn a 3-year contract (through 2020-2021) with Maccabi Haifa of Liga Leumit in the second tier of Israeli professional basketball. In 2018-2019 he served as a role player for Maccabi Haifa, however his 57.4% shooting was best on the team. They also went on to win the national championship, earning them a spot in the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 2019-2020. Hausman will look to continue his strong career while slowly making his way up the ranks.

Johnny McCarthy ’18 (Amherst basketball)

After graduating from Amherst in 2018, McCarthy decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business at IT Carlow in Ireland. It just so happened that IT Carlow has a basketball team that competes in Ireland’s Division 1 National Basketball League because, you know, in Europe you can get paid to play basketball while you’re still in school, but I digress. McCarthy took full advantage of his opportunity, putting up 21.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 3 steals per game, while shooting 51.2% and 40.1% from 3-point land – earning him first team all-league honors. This may be McCarthy’s only year of professional basketball now that he has earned his master’s, although he was recently able to gain some publicity while playing in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN alongside the Delpeche twins for team We Are D3, so we’ll have to wait and see where that takes him.

Nick Miceli ’17 (Wesleyan baseball)

To be honest, Nick Miceli probably has had the wildest professional career of anyone on this list. This guy spends his winters playing with the Golden Grove Dodgers of the South Australian Baseball League and his summers playing in the German Bundesliga. I know what you’re thinking and yes, winter here is summer in Australia, so Miceli pretty much gets to live in the summer all year round. Not a bad deal right? To make things even better, he has been absolutely tearing up both of these leagues. In his first season with the Golden Grove Dodgers he hit .348 at the plate while finishing with a 2.53 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched on the mound. This performance earned him a 3^rd place finish in MVP voting that year as well as a spot as the club’s pitching coach the following season. During his first season in the Bundesliga with the Bremen Dockers, Miceli hit .353 with a 2.66 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. He also finished with a .966 fielding percentage while playing all 9 positions at some point throughout the season. He followed this up with another stellar season for Golden Grove in Australia, hitting .360 while maintaining a sub-3.00 ERA and actually leading the league in runners caught stealing from behind the dish. He is currently playing his 2019 summer season with the Bonn Capitals of the Bundesliga where he looks to continue his sweltering pace.

Colby Morris ’19 (Middlebury baseball)

The other newbie to pro sports, Morris initially signed with the Trois-Rivières Aigles of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. After battling through a minor injury towards the end of his senior year at Middlebury, the 2018 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year bounced back and made 3 appearances totaling 11.2 innings with a modest 5.40 ERA in the Can-Am League. After a few short weeks Morris signed with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the prestigious American Association of Professional Baseball, a league largely comprised of guys that bounce between indy ball and the double-A and triple-A levels of minor league baseball. He has already appeared in 4 games out of the bullpen for the RailCats and he will look to further impress scouts to improve on his impressive pitching career.

Harry Rafferty ’17 (Wesleyan basketball)

This is a guy who has a little bit of mystery around him. Rafferty graduated from Wesleyan in 2017 after a very successful NESCAC career and I’m honestly not sure what he was doing for his first year after graduation. I say that because he played the 2018-2019 season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an NBA G-League team in the Miami Heat organization. I was not able to find any information about him playing overseas, but he clearly did an excellent job staying in basketball shape because the G-League is no joke. He appeared in 4 games, averaging 19.1 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, and just over 1 rebound per game for the Skyforce. It’s unclear what the next step is in his basketball career, but he is clearly someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the next level.

Jake Turtel ’18 (Middlebury baseball)

Here’s another guy with a pretty interesting story. Turtel graduated from Middlebury in 2018 after a solid 4-year career with the Panthers, although he wasn’t quite the standout player that many of the other guys are on this list. This is by no means an effort to diminish Turtel’s time in the NESCAC, but rather to draw attention to the fact that he may have been a late bloomer. A career .253 hitter at Midd, Turtel has exploded in his first season as a member of the Stockholm Monarchs of the Elitserien League, Sweden’s highest level of professional baseball. He is currently hitting .372 with an on-base percentage of .560 while primarily playing second base. Turtel has also logged 13.1 innings on the mound in the process. There is clearly a precedent for former NESCAC baseball players succeeding overseas and this guy is no exception. In addition, Turtel serves as a youth coach for the lower levels of the Monarchs organization, so it’ll be intriguing to see where his career takes him.

Duncan Robinson ’18 (Williams basketball)

This one may be a bit of a stretch, but I felt the need to include it. Robinson only played one season at Williams before transferring to the University of Michigan for his final three years of college*. However, his impact at Williams is still felt today. He holds numerous single-season scoring and shooting records in Williamstown, and his success in Ann Arbor landed him a two-way contract with the Miami Heat after he went undrafted in 2018. As a member of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Robinson average 21.4 points per game on 51.4% shooting and 48.3% from 3-point range, while grabbing 4.3 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists per game. He finished the year as an All-NBA G-League Third Team member and appeared in 15 games (1 start) with the Miami Heat in the NBA. In the last game of the season with the Heat, Robinson netted 15 points against the Brooklyn Nets – the first double-digit effort of his NBA career. Although he took a very different path, Robinson is still a NESCAC man at heart and it appears as though his pro career is just getting started.

*It appears as though Robinson has paved the way for future NESCAC basketball players to transfer to high level Division I schools, because Austin Hutcherson ’21 from Wesleyan recently took an official visit to the University of Notre Dame.

Random side note: One of the first times I was exposed to just how much talent is present in NESCAC sports was my freshman year of high school when our basketball team traveled to Phillips Exeter Academy for a holiday tournament. I didn’t know much about Exeter because we typically didn’t play them in the regular season, but man were they good. At the time, Harry Rafferty and Duncan Robinson were seniors on the team and after they torched us for 32 minutes I learned that they were headed to Wesleyan and Williams, respectively. I remember thinking to myself that these guys were absolute steals for NESCAC programs and that they probably should be heading to Division I schools. Turns out I was right about Robinson (and maybe Rafferty as well) but needless to say I gained an enormous amount of respect for NESCAC athletics after that experience.

Chasing Rings: NESCAC Baseball Playoff Preview

Friday, May 10 – Sunday, May 12

Colby College – Waterville, ME

Game #1: (2) Bates vs (1) Williams – Friday @ 2:30 PM

The first game of this year’s NESCAC playoffs features the #2 seed in the East, Bates, taking on the #1 from the West, Williams. Williams was able to edge themselves to the top of the West, taking the #1 seed from Middlebury based on head-to-head record. Williams was able to capture this title through defeating Wesleyan in the final game of their series last weekend. A Kellen Hatheway 2-run home run in the top of the 9th broke the even score and eventually sent Williams on to the tournament. Bates is probably the biggest surprise in this field. Trinity was ranked better than them all season, and even had received national votes, but after taking 2 of three games from the Bantams at home, Bates went on to sweep both of their CBB rivals and secure themselves a playoff spot, 1 game ahead of Trinity.

Likely Starters:

Bates: RHP Nolan Collins ’20 (7-1, 2.44 ERA, 52K, 59IP)

Williams: LHP Jack Bohen ’19 (5-0, 2.24 ERA, 44.2IP)

Williams will likely feature senior left hander Jack Bohen on the mound to face the Bobcats. Bohen has had an absolute career-year this season, lowering his ERA from 4.60 last year down to 2.24 this year. Bohen is coming off of what was most likely the best, and most important, game of his career to date. In a must-win series Bohen came out and tossed 8 innings, giving up no earned runs and walking just 2. It is clear to see in that stat book that Bohen is a pitch-to-contact hitter, because in those 8 innings of work he had just one strikeout. It is not always about the punchout and Bohen has been proving that this year. He has all the momentum he needs and I’m sure that he will not be looking to take his first loss of the season in this game. Bates will counter Bohen with right Nolan Collins, a junior from California. Collins had a breakout sophomore season last year in which he secured the #1 spot in the rotation. Since then he has done nothing but improve and help propel Bates to the playoffs. Aside from a bad start against Tufts, that most starters would’ve been happy with against the Jumbos, Collins has provided his team with more than enough opportunity to win in every game he has started, and for the most part they have won. Versus the common opponents that Bohen and Collins started against, Colby and Wesleyan, they have fairly similar numbers, perhaps Bohen having a slight edge. Both of these pitchers are in the top tier of NESCAC talent. It might be a struggle for both teams to get into an offensive rhythm, but it is the playoffs and anything can happen.

Key Offensive Talent

Bates

You can’t talk about the Bates lineup without talking about Christian Beal ’21. Beal paces Bates with his 49 hits (4th in NESCAC), .371 AVG (4th in NESCAC), 9 doubles, 2 triples and 11 stolen bases. He is the spark plug for Bates and when he plays well, they play well. Bates are 10-5 in games which Beal collects 2 or more hits, and the fact that there are 15 games shows how impactful he has been. Supporting Beal is catcher Jack Arend ’20 who is hitting .370 with 23 RBI. Arend also leads the NESCAC in walks with 33, putting his OBP at .548, also tops in the conference. Arend’s uncanny ability to draw the walk is a valuable weapon, as can be seen by his 21 runs scored, 2nd best on the team. Justin White ’19, Bryan Gotti ’22 and Jon Lindgren ’20 have also been important pieces in the lineup, all three of them are hitting over .300. Bates has a couple of high quality offensive weapons with the support of several impactful bats. While this may have been enough against teams like Colby and Bowdoin, against teams like Williams, Bates may have to exceed expectations just to keep up.

Williams

Williams has one of the most potent offenses in the NESCAC. As a team, they lead the NESCAC in triples with 17, are second in the NESCAC with a .308 team average and are also second in hits with 340. One of William’s offensive starts that is much to thank for these stats is Eric Pappas ’21. Pappas is tied for the league lead in hits and reaches base nearly half the time with his .493 OBP. When a player almost has double as many hits as games, it is a good sign that they’re having a solid year. This is true of not only Pappas, but also his teammate Doug Schaffer ’19. Along with his 53 hits, Schaffer is 2nd in the NESCAC in doubles with 12 and leads the NESCAC in batting average (.433) and slugging (.633). Perhaps more impressive than all of these stats, Schafer leads the NESCAC is RBI with 46, 14 more than the next closest player. Schafer has an extremely strong case for Player of the Year and an invaluable asset for the Ephs. Erik Mini ’21 has provided some well-timed offense this year with his 3 home runs and 27 RBI. Kellen Hatheway ’19 has only started ⅔ of Williams’ contests but he had made the most of his time, hitting .407 and blasting the home run that sent Williams to the playoffs. Williams has proved throughout the year that they are one of the most potent offenses in the NESCAC and it will be tough for any starter to keep them completely quiet.

Prediction: (W1) Williams defeats (E2) Bates

Game #2: (2) Middlebury vs (1) Tufts – Friday @ 6 PM

After the conclusion of Bates versus Williams, Midd and Tufts will take the field for their first tastes of the 2019 postseason. Middlebury returns to the playoffs this year after narrowly missing out last season. They had basically the same scenario last year as they did this year, beat Amherst in a series and they’re in. While last year they fell short, they were able to redeem themselves this season and secure their playoff spot. Now they have to take on Tufts, who is looking for redemption after falling short of the NESCAC title last season. Tufts has had fairly smooth sailing in-conference this season, winning every series and sweeping Bowdoin and Colby.

Likely Starters:

Middlebury: RHP Colby Morris ’19 (5-2, 2.80 ERA, 50K, 61IP)

Tufts: RHP RJ Hall ’19 (6-0, 1.57 ERA, 3CG)

Morris and Hall have both been four-year starters for their respective programs, and were the only two pitchers to be named 1st Team All-NESCAC last season, with Morris taking Pitcher of the Year honors as well. It is safe to say that these two are among the most experienced and talented players in the NESCAC this season, and they will need to leave it all on the line Friday night to outduel their counterpart. In all but one of his starts this season Morris has gone at least 5 innings and given up 3 or less runs. In his last two starts Morris has left it all out on the line for his team, going all 9 in both starts. Morris is one of, if not the most, decorated pitchers in the history of the Middlebury program but is yet to capture that elusive NESCAC title. This will be one of the biggest games of Morris’ career and he has proved throughout that career that he won’t give in until the last pitch. Morris will need to maintain that ferocity in order to compete with RJ Hall, who has been extremely effective at keeping opponents off this scoreboard this season. Similar to Morris, Hall has recorded two complete games in his last two contests (although they were both 7 inning games). While Morris may have more career innings pitched than Hall, Hall has far and away more playoff experience than Morris. In Hall’s 5 playoff appearances, 4 starts, he has pitched a total of 35 innings and has a record of 2-2 with one save. Meanwhile Morris has just 2 starts, totalling 13 ⅓ IP and a 1-1 record. It is also important to note that Hall’s playoff ERA is 1.29 while Morris’ is 4.05. Perhaps experience in these high-stress playoff situations will prove vital and become a big advantage for Tufts, who has a roster chalk full of playoff experiences. It is also important to note that this matchup has already occured this year and it is evidence of just how closely these two starters matchup. In the previous game Tufts won on an 8th inning walk-off 4-3. Both Morris and Hall went for 6 innings and gave up three runs. Their statline was near identical. Based upon how close that result was, there is no clear edge here. It’s anybody’s game.

Key Offensive Players:

Middlebury

Middlebury’s offense has managed to score twice as many runs as its opponents this year, showing their dominance on both sides of the ball. This is thanks to the fact that their offense is so well-rounded and has valuable weapons up and down it. 8 Middlebury hitters have already collected 20 or more hits, with three more (Justin Han, Brooks Carroll and Henry Strmecki) have 35 or more. Similarly, 9 different Panthers have gone deep this year with three of them (Henry Strmecki ’21, Kevin Woodring ’20, and Alec Ritch ’22) have left the yard multiple times. From those statistic you could probably guess that Henry Strmecki is a vital part of the Midd offense, and you would be right. Strmecki is 2nd on the team in hits (35), batting average (.330) and leads the team in runs (34), RBI (24) and leads the NESCAC in home runs with 5. Justin Han ’20 has also been impressive for Midd, leading the team in hist with 36, doubles with 8 and stolen bases with 22. Stealing bags is where Midd excels and they will steal early and often. They have stolen 142 bags while they’ve had just 36 stolen against them. They are running with an 88.2% success rate compared to opponents 80%. 14 Middlebury players have recorded steals with 6 of them stealing 12 or more. Middlebury runs a fast, high-potency offense that is more than a challenge to contain, but if anyone were to be up to that challenge it would be RJ Hall and the Jumbos.

Tufts

Not enough can be said to describe how much better Tufts’ hitting is than basically every other team in the NESCAC East. In-conference they are hitting .319 and the next closest in the East is Bates with .283. They also have the most hits (128), triples (3), home runs (7), RBI (72), OBP (.414) and slugging (.442). Tufts has just been flat out better than all of their NESCAC opponents. While these numbers are real and hold value, it is important to note the level of competition in the East versus the West. The East was so top-heavy this year that it allowed the far and away best team, Tufts, to gain inflated statistics compared to NESCAC West teams. They gain this advantage because the level of competition is much more even in the West so it is much more difficult to gain the dominant statistics that many Tufts players have. That being said, they are still most likely the best offense in the NESCAC. 6 different Jumbos have multiple home runs and 6 of their starters are hitting at or well above .300. Elias Varinos ’20 leads the the team in hits with 45 and walks with 23. Casey Santos-Ocampo ’19 paces the team in dingers with 4 and freshman Peter DeMaria ’22 leads the NESCAC in doubles with 15. Tufts has no soft spots in their lineup and pitchers need to be mentally aware of that going in. You can’t feed a fastball to the 9 hitter because he can take you yard too. I’m yet to be convinced that anyone can truly outclass Tufts’ offense, so Midd will have to show us something special Friday.

Prediction: *Upset Alert* (W2) Midd beats (E1) Tufts

After Friday Predictions:

(2) Bates vs. (1) Tufts – Saturday @ 10:30am

In this game Tufts holds the clear advantage. They will be upset that they lost their initial game and take their anger out on an already down Bates team. Brent Greeley ’20 would most likely start the second game for the Jumbos and he has been solid this year, holding a 3-2 record and 2.99 ERA. Bates would send out Justin Foley ’19, who has a 6-2 record with a 3.59 ERA. These two did not match up head to head in the regular season but both recorded wins against each othersrespective club. In all reality, Tufts is the far more talented and experienced club and would be unlucky to win their first game and have no chance of letting the first two slip by when they’ve lost just 2 conference games all year.

Prediction: (E1) Tufts defeats (E2) Bates, (E2) Bates is eliminated

(1) Williams vs. (2) Middlebury – Saturday @ 2 PM

This matchup will likely feature Middlebury senior Colin Waters ’19 and Williams freshman Sam Rohrer ’22. Waters has the experience over the rookie Rohrer, but Waters has struggled this year while Rohrer has impressed many in his freshman campaign. Last time against Midd Rohrer went 7 strong innings and only gave up one run to get the win. Against Williams Waters went 6 innings and gave up 4 runs in a loss. Well the numbers and this years past tell us that Rohrer and Williams have the clear advantage, a playoff atmosphere and a underdog win against Tufts might propel Midd to championship Sunday.

Prediction: (W1) Williams defeats (W2) Middlebury

(1) Tufts vs. (2) Middlebury – Saturday 45 minutes after Williams vs. Midd

Tufts an Midd meet once again here in a rematch of the first round. This game is an elimination one so everything is one the line for both teams. This is where arm health and depth really comes into play. Midd likely will send freshman Alex Price ’22 to the mound here who has been lights out the last few weeks and is certainly a candidate for freshman of the year along with several of the Tufts first year hitters. Their conference leading ERA will be put to the test as will their waning arm health (Starter Michael Farinelli ’21 hasn’t pitched in weeks), however, they certainly are up to the task. For the Jumbos Hall could certainly appear but their bullpen is very deep, although not as talented as Midd’s, so they have lots of semi-qualified candidates. This game is an absolute free-for-all but I think the Jumbos have a winning tradition, mentality and expectation and will find a way to make the game theirs.

Prediction: (E1) Tufts defeats (W2) Midd – (W2) Midd eliminated

Championship Sunday:

(1) Williams (2-0) vs. (1) Tufts (2-1)

Game 6 @ 10:30 AM, Game 7 30 minutes after game 6 (if necessary)

In this championship scenario, Tufts will need to defeat Williams twice to take the crown while the Ephs just have to take one of the possible two games to be named NESCAC champions. One thing that Williams would have going for them is that they have played 1 less game than the Jumbos, saving important arms. Tufts’ bullpen will have already been overused at this point and one more game let alone two would take a huge toll. That being said, three games in three days is still a lot so while Williams will be in better shape they are not at 100% by any means. These two offenses are probably the best in the NESCAC and they will be facing some very tired pitching staffs. I would expect that Tufts would be able to get to Williams in the first game of the series, but they would have basically spent the lasts of their pitching. This would allow Williams to take the advantage in the final game of the playoffs an come out victorious.

Predicted Tournament Champ: Williams

There’s an “I” in Win: End-of-Season Awards Predictions

With championship weekend finally on the horizon, it is finally time to make our award predictions. This season has been one of the closest in recent memory in regard to individual accolades, with so many different guys up and down different lineups contributing to their team’s successes. We’ve got a lot of these so let’s jump right into it.

West Division

Comeback Player of the Year: IF Kellen Hatheway ‘19 (Williams)

At first glance it probably seems pretty stupid to pick a two-time all-league selection, former rookie of the year, and former defensive player of the year as the CPOY. But the last two years have been a lot bumpier than the first two for Hatheway, who hit a career-low .228 with 11 RBI last season, after hitting .331 and .362 with a combined 46 RBI his first two years. His chances at a bounce back senior year were derailed after 5 games to start the season, absent from the starting lineup for 9 games in a row due to an injury, missing all of his senior year spring trip. But Hatheway returned to the lineup at a key time and was as big a reason as any that the Ephs captured their first NESCAC West title since 2010, hitting .407 with 3 HR and 11 RBI, capped by a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the 9th in a de facto playoff game against Wesleyan on Saturday, a moment that will live in Williams baseball lore for quite some time.

Honorable Mention: RHP Michael Farinelli ’21 (Middlebury), 1B Doug Schaffer ’19 (Williams)

CF4 Slugger: OF Henry Strmecki ’21, Middlebury

5 homers, 21 RBI, and a .557 slugging percentage for a playoff team makes you a pretty obvious answer for this one. The ball was flying out of the park in Vermont all season, as the Panthers tied for second in the league with 16 dingers, led by their sophomore slugger at the heart of the order. An interesting note is that Strmecki actually didn’t hit any home runs in conference games this year, so we’ll see if he can continue swinging it in the games that matter most.

Honorable Mention: C Severino Simeone ’20 (Amherst)

Reliever of the Year: RHP George Goldstein ’21, Middlebury

The Middlebury sophomore class makes another appearance on this list, this team in the form of closer George Goldstein. Goldstein broke on to the scene as a freshman by posting a 1.70 ERA in 21.2 IP, but managed to one up himself and lower that number to a 1.18, in addition to a 10.07 K/9. We look forward to George’s senior year, when his ERA is a 0.34.

Honorable Mention: RHP Mike Dow ’19 (Amherst), RHP Kyle Dean ’20 (Williams)

Rookie of the Year: RHP Alex Price ’22 (Middlebury)

Well it’s good to know there won’t be too much of a drop off at Middlebury once Colby Morris’ standout career comes to a close in a few weeks. His apprentice actually beat him out in ERA, with Price’s 2.63 just nudging out Morris at 2.70. RHP Sam Rohrer ’22 (41.1 IP, 3.07 ERA, 3-1) and his numbers don’t quite do justice to the impact he has had on the Williams pitching staff that so desperately needed arms, and got arms, but I don’t think the gap is narrow enough to give to a guy whose team had the same conference record as Price’s.

Honorable Mention: RHP Sam Rohrer ’22 (Williams)

Cy Young Award: LHP Jack Bohen ’19 (Williams)

This is by far, I think, the one you could really flip a coin on. I took a long and hard look at Bohen and Colby Morris’ stats, and I went with Bohen, by a hair. Bohen has the edge in ERA, but Morris has pitched 16 more innings than Bohen, leading the conference with 61.0 – the best ability is availability, and no one was more available than Morris. What did it for Bohen was his conference numbers – 3-0, 26.2 IP, 2.06 ERA, as compared to Morris’ 2-2 in 31.0 IP with a 2.61 ERA. Bohen’s teams went 4-0 when he pitched in divisional games, as opposed to 3-5 without him. It also doesn’t make things any easier (or fairer) for Morris attempting to repeat and win this award a second year in a row, after posting a 1.68 ERA last season. It could really go either way and whoever it goes to is more than deserving.

Honorable Mention: RHP Colby Morris ’19 (Middlebury)

MVP: 1B Doug Schaffer ’19 (Williams)

What an absolute breakout year for Schaffer, who had just as good a chance of winning Comeback Player of Year as any but lost out to his classmate Kellen Hatheway ’19 by a slim margin. After two straight years of hitting .218 and .277, the senior first baseman exploded to lead the league with a .433 average and 46 RBI—14 more than anybody else – as well as a preposterous .633 slugging percentage, also a league-best. Schaffer had 38 career RBI in 283 at-bats prior to his senior season, just to put things in perspective. His detractors will point out that he didn’t have a single home run, which really doesn’t matter when you put up 46 RBI, and that he only hit .295 with 6 RBI in conference play, which is a fair criticism. But Schaffer was the best player all year on a divisional title winner and there just wasn’t a close enough competitor for it to be anybody else.

Honorable Mention: OF Joe Palmo ‘21 (Amherst), OF Henry Strmecki ’21 (Middlebury)

East Division

Comeback Player of the Year: RHP Justin Foley ’19 (Bates)

The Bobcats return to the playoffs for the third straight year on the backs of a killer 1-2 punch in the rotation. Beside RHP Nolan Collins ’20 playing Batman, is Foley playing Robin – in large part because of the huge step forward he took for his senior year. His ERA dropped from a 5.08 to a 3.59, his K/9 jumped from a 6.46 to an 8.07, and his IP climbed from 39.0 to 50.2, culminating in going 6-2 after going 2-4 as a junior. He might even be the hot hand in Lewiston right now; Foley has thrown two consecutive complete game shutouts against the likes of Colby and Bowdoin – the latter of which earned him the most recent NESCAC Pitcher of the Week honor. The former Mr. Baseball in Massachusetts will be heavily relied on this weekend if Bates has any opens of hoisting their first banner.

Honorable Mention: LHP Eric Mohl ’19 Trinity

CF4 Slugger: OF Matt Koperniak ’20 (Trinity)

Koperniak can’t be thrilled to be missing the NESCAC tournament once again, but his 4 HR, 26 RBI, and .591 slugging percentage (2nd in the league) are a huge reason why the Bantams might still have a chance at postseason baseball in the form of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this guy playing in the Cape Cod League for a bit this summer.

Honorable Mention: OF JP Knight ’20 (Tufts), OF Casey Santos-Ocampo ’19 (Tufts)

Reliever of the Year: RHP Spencer Langdon ’20 (Tufts)

It was quite the year for Langdon, who was moved into the Jumbos bullpen despite going 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 45 IP as a starter last season. It isn’t a move that I would make but that’s why John Casey is John Casey and I’m not. It has been a resounding success, with Langdon closing out 5 games for the NESCAC East leaders. While the 3.68 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, 3 of his 9 earned runs came in a spot start against Eastern Connecticut St. It’s also pretty scary to think about what his save numbers really good have been if they ever needed him – shockingly, his appearances in their 16-0 win against Bowdoin and 30-2 (30-2!) win over Salem State, both scoreless innings, were not in save situations.

Honorable Mention: LHP Eric Mohl ’19 (Trinity), RHP Alex Simon ’19 (Bates), RHP Colby Lewis (Bowdoin)

Rookie of the Year: RHP Cameron Crowley ’22 (Trinity)

51.1 IP. 8-0 record. 2.29 ERA. A complete game allowing 1 run in a win against Tufts – just a few highlights of Cameron Crowley’s freshman year in Hartford. That really speaks for itself, honestly. Perhaps the most impressive part of Crowley’s first collegiate season was that all of this success came despite a meager 4.23 K/9. To show an ability to pitch to contact and throw outs at such a young age is seriously impressive. If he comes back with a bit better stuff, he will dominate the league at an even higher level than he did this year.

Honorable Mention: IF Peter DeMaria ’22 (Tufts), IF Bryan Gotti (Bates)

Cy Young: RHP RJ Hall ’19 (Tufts)

If you really want to understand how good Hall was this season, then go scroll up ever so slightly and read through Cameron Crowley’s numbers again, and then learn that he didn’t even remotely warrant consideration for this award. Everything Crowley did, Hall did better for Tufts, and did it while leading Tufts to yet another division title. He went 6-0 and lead the NESCAC with a 1.57 ERA, and 3 complete games. He only threw 46 innings because of a brief stint on the DL (IL, excuse me), but returned just as strong as he was pre-injury, closing out his regular season going 7 strong in a win against Colby, allowing just 1 run.

Honorable Mention: RHP Nolan Collins’ 20 (Bates), RHP Cameron Crowley ’22 (Trinity)

MVP: OF Matt Koperniak ’20 (Trinity)

To be honest with you, I kind of hate this pick. I’m a big fan of rewarding team success, but baseball is dependent on so many other factors that I don’t think it’s as big of a deal. Yes, Trinity did not make the playoffs. But they still went 27-7 with an 8-4 record in the league, and Koperniak slashed .380/.473/.591 while hitting 4 HR and driving in 26. It’s not like his team stunk and his production certainly warrants consideration. The other thing, unfortunately, is that Bates’ top hitters (Jack Arend ’20 and Christian Beal ’21) aren’t quite on the same level as Koperniak and Tufts has had such good production up and down the lineup that no one person can be identified – anyone worth considering cancels the next guy out. The Jumbos have 5 guys hitting .300 or better with 20+ RBI (we’re rounding Casey Santos-Ocampo’s .298 up for the sake of this stat), but none of them quite have Koperniak’s numbers.

Honorable Mention: IF Peter DeMaria ’22 (Tufts), OF Christian Beal ’21 (Bates), OF JP Knight ‘19 (Tufts)

Playoff Baseball: Stock Report 5/8

And then there were four. NESCAC playoff baseball is here with a few surprises. Bates came out of nowhere to claim yet another playoff appearance. Tufts remained the top team in the East. Wesleyan and Amherst can no longer claim dominance in the West. Williams and Middlebury took their spots. Colby didn’t win a conference game all year. On a positive note, there’s nowhere to go but up for the Mules! NESCAC playoff baseball promises close games, great pitching, and clutch hitting. Let’s take a look at my stock report:

Long: Whatever’s going on in Lewiston, ME

Brace yourself, Bobcats fans, you’re not going to appreciate what I am about to say: Lewiston has to be the worst location of all NESCAC schools. And yes, I am writing that in my dorm room in Middletown, CT. Regardless of their location, the Bobcats have been a model of consistency for the past few years. When Coach Leonard left for Middlebury three years ago, the growth could’ve ended for Bates. Jon Martin, a former Vassar College coach, was named head coach shortly after. Vassar, a school who boasts alumni such as Meryl Streep and Phoebe from Friends (Lisa Kudrow), isn’t known for its athletics. Martin has led Bates to three consecutive playoff appearances in a division with Trinity and Tufts. Bates has always relied on their strong pitching and clutch hitting to win some ball games. The Bobcats have never been able to get over the hump. Is this their year? It certainly looks like the Bobcats have improved on the hitting side with Christian Beal ’21 and Jack Arend ’20 hitting in the high .300’s. Nolan Collins ’20 has been an absolute force yet again with a team high in innings and a 2.44 ERA. Of all the teams in the playoffs, Bates has the best matchup in game one against Williams. If the Bobcats take game one, they will be in the driver’s seat for the rest of the tournament. I am excited to see if Bates can finally get over the hump this year – it would be tough to have three straight playoff appearances coupled with three straight early exits. Arend, Beal, Collins, and co. may have the swagger to get them over the top, though. It will be fun to watch.

Short: Amherst and Wesleyan

If you were to ask me before the season began who would represent the West in the playoffs, I would say Wesleyan and Amherst. Wes made the playoffs a year ago, and their only real impact player who graduated was Matt Jeye. I would’ve expected Mike McCaffrey ’19 and Kelvin Sosa ’21 to have dominant seasons again. McCaffrey only appeared in three conference games, which was a dramatic decrease from last year. Wesleyan didn’t seem to have the same clutch factor they did a year ago. Alex Cappitelli ’20 had an off year for his high standards, and the weakness in the lineup game from middle to bottom. Clutch hitting was a real issue for the Cardinals. Amherst was fresh off a NESCAC championship the year before. One could speculate that a fall was possible for Amherst. The losses of Coach Hamm, Harry Roberson, and Max Steinhorn proved to be too much to overcome. Amherst has always been a very resilient bunch, so I was surprised they couldn’t get a playoff bid in a so-so conference. Middlebury taking a playoff spot wasn’t all that surprising to me. I truly believe getting swept by Wes to start the 2018 season just crushed the Panthers the rest of the way. It was a sophomore slump for Midd. The likes of Colby Morris ’19 and Justin Han ’20 drove the Panthers this year to a playoff appearance. Amherst and Wesleyan are the usual suspects representing the West based on previous years, so I am quite shocked that neither of them made it in this year. I am curious to see how they bounce back next year especially with Wesleyan graduating many key players.

And Then There Were Four: 5/4 Weekend Recap

Middlebury vs. Amherst

This three game series held high stakes in the NESCAC West, as both Midd and Amherst were tied at 5-4 in conference heading into the series. Whoever won this series was guaranteed a playoff spot, so the entire season was on the line for both teams. Friday was game one in which two California natives, Andrew Ferrero ’19 and Colby Morris ’19, took the mound for their respective teams. Midd was able to score and take the lead in the 3rd inning and then added on one more run each in the 5th and 7th innings. Morris was stifling Amherst batters and managed to keep them scoreless until the 8th, when Joseph Palmo ’21 mashed a three-run dinger to tie things up. The score remained 3-3 until the 10th inning when Midd doubled their total and scored 3 in the top half of the inning. Amherst was able to respond with a run in the bottom half but it was not enough and Midd was able to capture 1 of the 2 wins they needed to clinch the playoffs. In game two Amherst scored once in the 2nd inning and Midd quickly matched it in the 3rd. In the 4th inning Phil Bernstein ’19 singled in Alec Ritch ’22 and the score remained 2-1 Middlebury until the final out. With Midd taking the first two games, they clinched a playoff berth and the final game was just to help decide seeding. Game three was yet another close contest in what proved to be a thrilling series. The game was back and forth throughout with it being tied 5-5 going into the bottom of the 9th. After the first three hitters reached base, Seve Simeone ’20 ripped a single, allowing Amherst to capture the final game of the series and prevent Midd from snagging the #1 seed in the West. Next weekend Midd will travel to Colby for the NESCAC Tournament and face 1 seed in the East Tufts, while Amherst’s season is complete and the reigning champs will not have an opportunity to defend their title.

Williams vs. Wesleyan

Jack Bohen will look to continue his brilliant season into the NESCAC playoffs

The second of the NESCAC West series to occur this weekend took place between Williams and Wesleyan for each team’s final series of the year. Jack Bohen ’19 started game 1 for the Ephs and continued the dominance he has shown all year. He went 8 strong and gave the Cardinals no chance as he gave up no earned runs. The Eph bats were hot in game one as well; Eric Pappas ’21 had 3 RBI and Williams scored 6 runs to defeat Wesleyan by a final score of 6-1. Similar to Middlebury, going into the second day of the series Williams knew they needed just one win to guarantee playoffs. Despite this, Wesleyan came out very strong in game 2. Kelvin Sosa ’21 tossed a 7 inning CGSO, collecting 7 strikeouts and walking just 1. Johnny Lamont ’20 collected a 6 inning CG, but his 2 runs were too many for his offense to cover. Going into the final game both teams needed a win to have even a shot at playoffs, so this game was winner-take-all. Game three was extremely close as the teams were neck and neck throughout. Both teams staffed the game, using many pitchers in short spurts. They took turns trading blows, as Jonny Corning ’20 hit a two-run shot in the 4th to give the Cardinals the lead. The game was tied 3-3 going into the top of the 9th inning, when Eph prayers were answered with a Kellen Hatheway ’19 two-run bomb that ended up sending Williams right to the playoffs. Williams will be back in action next weekend in Waterville, ME, facing #2 seed in the East Bates. Wesleyan fell to Trinity 2-0 in their final game of the season on Monday.

Bates vs. Bowdoin

Brandon Lopez wrapped up a solid career against Bates over the weekend

Heading into this weekend Bates knew that just one win in their doubleheader against Bowdoin would send them to the playoffs, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker against Trinity. With this information in mind, Bates did not hesitate to get the job done as they came out firing in the first game of this Saturday doubleheader. Justin Foley ’19 was fantastic for the Bobcats, tossing a complete game shutout and allowing just 6 baserunners – earning NESCAC Pitcher of the Week honors in the process. Brandon Lopez ’19 was less impressive for Bowdoin, allowing 6 runs in his 6 innings. Christian Beal ’21 paced the Bobcats offensively, going 4-4 with 2 RBI, while Jon Lindgren ’20 added on by going 3-4. Catcher Jack Arend ’20 drew 3 walks, bringing his season total to a league-leading 33. All in all, Bates captured game one with ease and therefore their playoff berth. Despite this, the Bobcats continued to pounce on Bowdoin in game 2. Nolan Collins ’20 concluded his terrific regular season with a 5-inning, 4-hit, 1-run effort, earning the win on the mound. As a team Bates collected 14 hits and 11 RBIs in game 2, bringing home a decisive 11-1 victory. Bowdoin finished out their year with a non-conference win on Sunday while Bates takes on #1 seed in the West Williams next weekend.

Tufts vs. Colby

While Tufts entered the weekend knowing that they had already clinched a playoff spot, they ended up needing one victory against Colby to clinch the #1 seed, and they decided to tack on one more for good measure. RJ Hall ’19 threw a complete game, giving up just one run in the first game of the doubleheader. Six different Jumbos collected RBIs in the game, highlighted by a 2-4 day including a single and a home run from Harrison Frickman ’19, as Tufts took the game easily, 10-1. In game two the foot wasn’t really let off the gas as Tufts held Colby to just 2 runs behind Aidan Tucker ’22 providing 8 innings, allowing just 1 run and striking out 4. Brandon Bay ’21 and Will Shackelford ’19 combined for 5 RBIs for the Jumbos as game 2 was taken by a score of 7-2. While the Colby Mules will not be back in action this season, their field will be. Tufts will be one of the 4 NESCAC teams traveling to Waterville this weekend for the NESCAC Baseball Championships. They’ll start by facing 2 seed in the West Middlebury on Friday.

Rain or Shine; 4/19 Weekend Preview

This weekend is a mess with bad weather, postponing both series’ in the west and effectively ending any players’ chances at an All-American bid due to such a limited amount of weekends with games this year. But–weather is what it is and we are used to it in the Northeast; Here is the preview for the East division teams that are still planning to suit up despite the impending downpour.

Bowdoin (5-17-1, 3-6) vs. Bates (11-11, 3-3)
Friday at Bates
Saturday at Bowdoin

Bates was impressive in their last NESCAC matchup two weekends ago against Trinity, winning the series 2 games out of 3. Strong performances from Nolan Collins ’20, who went 8+ innings for Bates in game 1, and Antonio Jareno ’22, who collected 6 hits including 2 doubles and a home run, helped fuel the Bobcat’s fire. After taking care of Trinity, Bates proceeded to split a Saturday, non-conference doubleheader against Wesleyan. Collins was once again impressive, earning another win. Bates picked up win number 11 to even themselves up at .500 against Dean and will look to continue to trend positively in their rivalry series against Bowdoin. It was a tough weekend for Bowdoin as the high of their sweep of Colby was turned on its head as their were handed a sweep themselves from Tufts. The first two games were one-run games but game three was an absolute blowout, 16-0. Mid-week looked a lot less rough as the Polar Bears earned their 4th and 5th wins of the season against UMaine Farmington and Husson. Bates certainly has the talent advantage here but as we know, that doesn’t always get it done. Rivalry games are never a sure thing.

Prediction: Bates wins 2 of 3

POSTPONED: Wesleyan (11-13, 3-3) vs Williams (16-7, 3-3)
Friday at Williams
Saturday at Wesleyan

Williams will roll into Connecticut this weekend looking to gain an edge on Wesleyan as the playoff race in the NESCAC West is close as ever. Williams was impressive last week, winning two of three from a Middlebury team that recently dropped 15 runs in a win over Dartmouth. Sam Rohrer ’22 battled it out with reigning POY Colby Morris ’19 in game one and was able to take home the win as the Williams defense proved more formidable than Midd’s. Game two was a blowout 10-0 loss for the Ephs but a rally in the 10th inning and a Mike Stamas ’20 double saw Williams walk off victorious. Mid-week left some to be desired, two losses to Skidmore and Southern Vermont. Now is the time where playoff seeding really starts to shake out so Williams will need to come into the series this weekend with some fire. For Wesleyan it is time to defend home turf. They did not participate in official NESCAC play last weekend but in their non-conference games they went 2-2. With three teams tied at 3-3 in the West going into the weekend, and Middlebury’s midweek explosion, it is very possible that the loser of this series will not be able to come back and reach the playoffs. It is do or die time in the West and it’s all about who wants it more.

Prediction: Williams wins 2 of 3

Tufts (19-5, 5-1) @ Colby (8-12, 0-6)

Tufts has been absolutely rolling lately, and it is showing in the polls as they are creeping closer and closer to returning to the top-25 as the weeks and series continue. A clean sweep of Bowdoin puts them at a 5-1 NESCAC East record, making them the #1 seed heading into the weekend. A large part of Tufts’ success is due to their hot bats. As a team they are swinging at a .326 clip and are reaching base in a little less than 50% of plate appearances. Elias Varinos ’20 is unstoppable at the plate this season, hitting .422 and a .526 OBP, 3rd and 5th ranked in the conference respectively. Tufts should have absolutely no problem taking care of a team like Colby. Unfortunately for the Mules the search for their first NESCAC win will probably not end this weekend as Tufts has the advantage over them in almost every capacity. Colby kept it close last weekend in a few games but still managed to get swept for the second straight weekend, effectively removing them from playoff contention. It is clearly still rebuilding time for the Mules who have a head coach in his first season and a young roster. While they may not have much success at all this year, especially in this series, improvement is imminent.

Prediction: Tufts sweep

POSTPONED: Midd @ Amherst (Rescheduled to May 3-4)

It Doesn’t End in May: 2018 Summer Ball Top Performers

While many NESCAC students are working for their uncle at Google or Goldman Sachs, most of the conference’s best baseball players are competing in the top collegiate summer leagues out there. Though it may be Division III, NESCAC baseball players see success nearly every year in some of the top summer ball leagues in the country, playing with and against guys from Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Virginia, etc. night in and night out. Every team in the NESCAC had a few guys whose summer performances last year were worth noting, so we did just that. Take a look at who had the most noteworthy summers from each team across the league:

Amherst

Andrew Ferrero ’19
Martha’s Vineyard Sharks – Futures League
4-2, 4.15 ERA, 43.1 IP, 50 H, 36 K, 10 BB

Like many others around the NESCAC, Ferrero took his talents to the Futures League last summer where he played for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. The Futures League is made up of mostly younger guys from Division I schools, but there are a handful of Division II and III guys on every team. With as much talent as there is, pitching in the Futures League should actually be a tougher test than the regular college season against all D3 opponents. Ferrero had himself a good summer, amassing a 4.15 ERA with 36 strikeouts and just 10 walks on the year. His numbers weren’t eye-popping, but this type of consistency against very strong opponents should bode well for Ferrero as he returns to NESCAC play.

Bates

Nolan Collins ’20
Brockton Rox – Futures League
5-0, 2.47 ERA, 47.1 IP, 43 H, 39 K, 17 BB

Collins joined forces with college teammates Brendan Smith ’19, and Jack Arend ’20, as well as current Middlebury Panther, George Goldstein ’21, over the summer as a member of the Brockton Rox, also in the Futures League. It appears that Collins picked up in the summer right where he left off from his breakout sophomore season at Bates. He finished the summer season with excellent numbers and his 2.47 ERA was the 3^rdlowest among all starters across the league. Perhaps an interesting aspect of Collins’ success is the fact that he was able to throw to the same catcher both in college and during summer ball. Having consistency behind home plate is key, and the duo of Arend and Collins has been able to take the Bobcats (and the Rox) to new heights with their success.

Bowdoin

Jack Wilhoite ’19
North Shore Storm – North Shore Baseball League
.360 BA (18-50), 9 2B, 2 HR, .448 OBP, .700 SLG

I’ll be honest – I had to look a little bit further for this one. Luckily, the numbers absolutely made it worth it. I don’t know much about the North Shore Baseball League other than that it’s a men’s league, but Wilhoite (along with a few of his teammates from Bowdoin) tore it up. When you have 18 hits and more than half of them are for extra bases, you’re doing something right. In fact, Wilhoite actually had himself a pretty good summer on the mound as well. The senior struck out 20 batters in just 13 innings, allowing 6 earned runs on 8 hits along the way. Bowdoin has really struggled so far this year but Wilhoite proves that they have talent; they just have some things they need to figure out. I’d look for them to get in the win column pretty soon.

Colby

Emery Dinsmore ’20
Norsemen – GNCBL

This one might be even more of a stretch, but for some reason the Greater Northeast Collegiate Baseball League doesn’t allow you to view player stats without having a paid account with GameChanger. So naturally I will have to settle for the fact that Dinsmore threw a shutout in game one of the league championship series and has been off to a great start for the Mules this season. In his first start of the collegiate season Dinsmore tossed 6 innings of one-run baseball, allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The southpaw appears to be the ace in Waterville, so hopefully he can bring Colby out of the basement this year.

Hamilton

Gavin Schaefer-Hood ’21
Sherrill Silversmiths – NYCBL
1-1, 3.91 ERA, 20.2 IP, 21 H, 15 K, 10 BB

Schaefer-Hood put together a solid summer in the always-competitive New York Collegiate Baseball League. His number, albeit good, are actually not even indicative of what he was able to do all summer. Schaefer-Hood allowed 9 earned runs on the year, but 7 of them were in one game. If you take out that one bad performance, he finished the summer with a 1.08 ERA, allowing just 12 hits and 7 walks over 16.2 innings. He even had one start where he threw a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out 7 and not walking any. These are definitely Friday-starter numbers and that is exactly the type of performance he’ll look to continue as the Continentals move forward in NESCAC West play.

Middlebury

Colby Morris ’19
Green Bay Bullfrogs – Northwoods League/Chatham Anglers – Cape Cod League
1-2, 2.57 ERA, 28 IP, 27 H, 21 K, 9 BB

The NESCAC Pitcher of the Year from 2018 continued to make a name for himself in the very impressive Northwoods League. Similar to Schaefer-Hood, 5 of Morris’ 8 earned runs on the summer came in one outing, so it’s safe to say that the dude shoved. In his last (and best) outing with the Bullfrogs, Morris didn’t allow a run while surrendering just 4 hits and striking out 8. His success earned him a brief stint with the Chatham Anglers of the famed Cape Cod Baseball League – a very rare feat for a Division III player. This guy is legit and the only hardware he has left to bring home is a NESCAC championship trophy.

Trinity

Matt Koperniak ’20
North Adams SteepleCats – NECBL
.318 BA (41-129), 10 2B, 1 HR, 24 RBI

Koperniak absolutely shredded some really good pitching in the NECBL all summer. He finished among the league leaders in batting average, while roping 10 doubles and hitting a bomb. When mid-July rolled around and guys started to slump, Koperniak did just the opposite. The Massachusetts native went on a 15-game hitting streak in the middle of the year that included 7 multi-hit games, 8 of his 10 doubles, and hit lone home run. Not only is Koperniak one of the best hitters in the NESCAC, but he also has the ability to get really, really hot. The Bantams are off to a terrific start in 2019 and this guy has been right in the middle of it – an intimidating presence atop the lineup.

Tufts

RJ Hall ’19
Sanford Mainers – NECBL
3-0, 2.13 ERA, 33.2 IP, 29 H, 25 K, 7 BB

Not that I expected anything else from Tufts, but Hall was very impressive this past summer. His 2.13 ERA represented the 2^nd lowest in the league, and he allowed the fewest walks among starters all season. He put on a number of impressive performances, with perhaps the best one taking place at the end of June when he fanned 7 while allowing just 2 hits and a walk over 5 innings of shutout baseball. Hall has had a very impressive career as a Jumbo, serving as a key member of the staff from the day he set foot on campus. It seems that over the past four years the only certainties have been death, taxes, and RJ Hall.

Wesleyan

Kelvin Sosa ’21
Bristol Blues – Futures League
2-3, 5.58 ERA, 29 IP, 31 H, 32 K, 22 BB

Sosa didn’t have quite as strong of a summer as he would’ve liked, but competed and did a decent job considering he was the youngest D3 player in the league. As his strikeout numbers last year would indicate, Sosa has knockout stuff – his only real struggle has been with command. Yeah, allowing 31 hits in 29 innings isn’t great, but it’s a lot easier to hit when Sosa is only throwing one pitch for a strike that day. This seems to be a recurring theme for the Cardinal staff as a whole, so perhaps it’s time for Coach Woodworth to incorporate some more accuracy drills into the practice plan. If they are able to do this successfully then Wesleyan will go a very long way because Sosa knows how to pitch and the rest of the league should definitely be on notice.

Williams

Kellen Hatheway ’19
Martha’s Vineyard Sharks – Futures League
.311 BA (32-103), 6 2B, 6 HR, 28 RBI

Hatheway responded quickly after a lackluster junior season by breaking out over the summer. He teamed up with Ferrero from Amherst for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in the Futures League and went on a tear all summer long. Hatheway finished tied for 2^ndin the league in home runs, 7^thin RBIs, and 7^thin batting average while playing against almost entirely Division I opponents. He has the Ephs off to an incredibly hot start in his senior campaign and he’ll look to bring his summer form back into NESCAC play so that Williams can be in playoff contention for the first time in a while.

One in the Books: Stock Report 4/1

Well NESCAC baseball fans, the conference season is upon us. That means it is unlikely to see a 22-3 game with six homers that go over four hundred feet. The warmth of Florida and Arizona aren’t felt anymore. The only thing that these players feel is the biting cold of New England’s early spring. The conference season kicked off with a bang. Defending league champs Amherst lost two out of three games to Little Three rival Wesleyan. Trin looks confident after taking a three game set against Bowdoin. A lot has transpired this past weekend. Let’s take a closer look at what/who I believe is up or down.

Stock up

Trinity pitching

Andrew DeRoche seems to have taken over as the Friday starter for the Bantams

Like in any sports conference, there is a traditional hierarchy. That being said, the NESCAC is one of the most competitive conferences in all of college athletics. Sweeps occur, but they are rare, in my opinion, due to the general parity in the league. Bowdoin hasn’t been strong in years. They have been a middle to lower tiered team in the East division. They have traditionally had trouble swinging the bad even with some solid pitching. This past weekend proved no different. Picking up three wins for Trin is huge. Even if the wins are against Bowdoin, a win is a win. In a league with not very many conference games, each one could be the difference between a playoff appearance or simply only studying for finals. Trinity was lead by their stellar pitching this past weekend. Andrew DeRoche ’20 went 7.1 innings allowing no earned while giving up three hits. Will Simeone ’22 went game two with an almost identical stat line. All hands were on deck for game three with Max Barsamian ’21 going four solid innings with Eric Mohl ’19 going another four innings unearned to pick up the win. Obviously Trin’s largest adversary in the East is Tufts. Tufts had a slow start last year, but ended up going all the way to the end with Amherst. After graduating a few big bats; however, I think it may be time for Trinity to take the reigns of dominance in the East.

Dominance of the West Division

Williams is 12-1 right now without having played a league game. They swept Colby this past weekend with big hitting numbers. Amherst dropped two against Wesleyan, playing sloppy defense for most of the weekend. The result would have easily been flipped if Amherst took care of the baseball. I am certain that a program like Amherst will clean up the defense, and be a force in the division like so many years prior. Middlebury looked strong too and has two perennial POY and Cy Young candidates like Han and Morris, making it no wonder why they’re off to a strong start. Coach Leonard has made the program strong again and it is clear that last year was an anomaly for the Panthers. They lost some close games due to a lack of clutch hitting and some bad breaks. Hamilton had a tough weekend against Midd but the Conts still play a style of baseball where they can absolutely rake and just need to find a way to close out games against strong teams. They have the talent, there’s no question about that, but what remains to be seen is if they can convert that talent to consistent winning. Wesleyan had a dismal spring trip. Hitting, like always, was strong, though their pitching was inconsistent at best. They certainly turned it around this weekend winning two against a strong foe in Amherst. The emergence after a season off for Andrew Keith ’19 is huge. He and freshman Adam Geibel ’22 are strong additions to the team. I can honestly see all these teams make a strong push for the division title. All West division games will be fun to watch.

Stock down

Maine Baseball

Brandon Lopez has been one of the only bright spots for Bowdoin so far

It has been a tough start for every Maine NESCAC team. Bowdoin has yet to win a game; Colby couldn’t contain Williams; Bates lost two out of three to Tufts. After making the playoffs a year ago, I thought Bates was on the rise. The Bobcat pitching has always been its bread and butter. Like everyone knows, you have to score runs to win ball games. Bates has always had trouble putting the ball in play. With Tufts and Trinity playing as well as they are, it is hard to envision Bates making the playoffs*. Bowdoin has yet to win a game. I repeat: Bowdoin has yet to win a game. Not only are they are shooting 0% in conference games, they haven’t beat a non-conference opponent either. A major reason why that’s the case is playing in California for spring training. The teams in California are much better than in Arizona or Florida. I understand wanting to play the top talent, but if you’re unable to pick up even one win, why go? Don’t you want to gain confidence? The addition of Coach Jesse Woods has certainly helped in the early-going, but it’s hard to envision them sustaining this come conference play. The Mules haven’t faced a team from the East division yet, but the games against Williams don’t show much hope. Colby has some talent and maybe even be able to steal a win or two, but the strength of Tufts and Trin makes it unlikely for a Maine team to make the playoffs.

*Editor’s note: Bates has had a mysterious way of performing just well enough to sneak into the playoffs over the last few years despite being one of the worst statistical teams. Tufts and Trinity look like the clear 1 and 2 in the east, but we’ve learned by now that you can never really count out the Bobcats.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I have always liked this quote. It makes sense to me that the dominant teams will stay dominant no matter the changing circumstances. The Patriots, under Belichick, have been able to adapt and beat teams in a variety of ways. The San Antonio Spurs have been able to remain a dominant team even if they don’t have many ‘superstars’. Tufts lost a huge portion of their lineup, but here they are just as good as ever. Bates and Trinity are right there in the mix just like always. That’s the East, though. In the West, I think it’s a toss up. I think Midd will make the playoffs, but after that, it’s a crapshoot. Will Williams be dominant for the first time in a while? They have the pieces, and have played well so far. Will Wesleyan’s pitching come around? It showed up for the most part against Amherst. Will the departure of Brian Hamm from Amherst kill the intimidation the team radiated? We’ll see. It will be an exciting spring season without a doubt.

Opening Weekend Preview: Who’s Coming to Play?

League play has arrived! After a long offseason and a few weeks of non-conference play, NESCAC foes will step on to the same diamond for the first time this season. The first weekend always carries a lot of question marks, because we don’t really know what to expect from every team. Some teams play tougher out of conference schedules than others, but for the first time this weekend we will begin to have a better idea of who is for real and who isn’t.

Williams @ Colby in Kissimmee, Florida

One of the early stories of the season has been the emergence of this Williams team, a team that came into the season with more questions than answers. The Ephs enter this series 9-1, already as many wins as they had last year. They have done it on the backs of their infield, namely sophomores Erik Mini (.390, 15 RBI) and Eric Pappas (.514, 8 RBI), and the white hot IF Doug Schaffer ’19, hitting .561 through 10 game and amassing a preposterous 27 RBI, 8 more than anyone else in the league. But the Ephs have also shown a flair for the dramatic, which could be covering up a few cracks. They’ve won 3 games in their final at-bats, most notably an upset win over then #9 Johns Hopkins and a 5-run bottom of the 8^th to beat St. Olaf 10-8. The pitching is yet to come around (4.50 ERA) and it’s always hard to judge how other teams are treating non-conference games. We’ll learn a lot about them this weekend. The same goes for the Colby Mules, who are only 6-1, thanks to Mother Nature. The Mules have shown they can win in a variety of ways, putting up 10+ runs in half of the wins, and holding their opponents to 4 or less runs in 4 of their games. They’re hitting .410 as a team, paced by 3B Will Wessman ‘20’s .400/.448/.800 line to go along with 2 HRs and 11 RBI. But Colby has started 7 different pitchers in their 7 games, so we don’t have a lot to go off of in terms of knowing what they’ll bring to the bump. I’m going to give the edge to Williams in this one—momentum in baseball can be a scary thing and they’re as hot as anyone right now. While this is technically a non-conference series (@NESCAC, this is a problem), it still should reveal some aspects of each team that will reveal who each is.

Prediction: Williams 2-1

Hamilton @ Middlebury in Orlando, Florida

A series worth being exciting about between two teams who are getting right to the nitty and gritty to begin the year. Middlebury comes in at 8-4, but with a scoring margin of +42, while Hamilton has eked out a 7-6 start with a lot of close games. It’s hard not to give the edge to the Panthers in this series, with all that we know about both teams. Hamilton would be smart not to match their ace Gavin Schaefer-Hood ’21 (22.0 IP, 3-0, 2.05 ERA) with reigning league Pitcher of the Year Colby Morris ’19 of Middlebury (21.0 IP, 2-0, 3.00 ERA) if they want the best chance to steal this series. If they save him a day that will ideally put them in a position to split the first two and take their chances in a rubber match Game 3. Middlebury has to feel really good about the contributions they’re getting up and down the roster coming into this weekend, with 5 different guys already having cleared the fence, and 7 different guys having made starts for the Panthers, half of them coming from 4 different freshmen. Reigning Rookie of the Year IF Matt Zaffino ’21 has yet to really get going for the Conts (.270/.415/.324) but I think Schaefer-Hood will be good enough to get them a win if he doesn’t face Morris.

Prediction: Middlebury 2-1

Bates @ Tufts

Justin Foley is one of the most reliable starters for the Bobcats

A matchup between the 2018 playoff representatives of the NESCAC East kicks off divisional play in Somerville. Tufts (9-2) was expected to be able to offset the loss of their superstar senior class, namely Falkson, O’Hara, and Nachmanoff, on the backs of arguably the best rotation in the league in Brent Greeley ’20, R.J. Hall ‘19, and Spencer Langdon ’20, but the Jumbos have come out mashing once again to start the season, plating 124 runs in just 11 games. Langdon has moved to the bullpen, but Hall and Greeley look every bit the best 1-2 combination in the league, combing to allow 2 ER in 28 innings. Bates (5-6) has yet to hit their stride at the plate (.359 slugging as a team, 63 runs), but they have two proven quality starters in Nolan Collins (18.0 IP, 2-0, 2.00 ERA) and Justin Foley (20.1 IP, 1-1, 3.54). But they’re running into a buzz saw to start their conference play. Tufts is hitting the cover off of the ball and their first two starters are as good as anyone in the entire league. We don’t know who their third starter is yet, presumably sophomore Manny Ray (11.0 IP, 1-0, 3.27 ERA), but his classmate Jamie Weiss has also made two starts and freshman Aidan Tucker leads the Jumbos in appearances (5) and innings pitched (15). But whoever it is is going to be able to rely on a lot more run support than anyone Bates throws out there. Collins is 5^th in the league with a 9.50 K/9 and he’s going to need to use the punchout to get through this lineup. If he can do that they might be able to steal one, but I would bet against it.

Prediction: Tufts 3-0

Trinity @ Bowdoin in Waterville, Maine

While it’s true you can never take too much away from non-conference play, anytime you go winless in your first 11 games, it’s a red flag. That’s exactly what Bowdoin has done, starting their season 0-10-1. Needless to say, it’s been poor play all around the diamond for the Polar Bears. The offense has logged 33 runs in 11 games, good for 3 a game. They’re hitting .208 as a team. Brandon Lopez ’19 and Colby Lewis ’20 have actually looked like the duo they’re expected to be, combining to throw 20.1 IP with a 2.66 ERA. But the rest of the rotation has been so dismal that their team ERA currently sits at 9.56. And just to make matters worse, their .942 fielding percentage is 8^th in the league. The silver lining in all of this however, is that Bowdoin played a tough, tough schedule over their spring break, heading out to Los Angeles to play a number of strong west coast teams, a trip that Williams made last season with similar results. But playing Trinity probably isn’t going to be how they turn it around. The Bantams come in as hot as the Polar Bears are cold, winners of 6 in a row and 9-2 overall. Trinity is second in the league with 101 runs in 11 games, getting production across the board—namely in 4 players with double digit RBI. It has been the usual suspects like Stamatis and Koperniak, but also in breakout performers like freshman Mike Guanci Jr., hitting .295 and driving in 12 in to start his first college season, as well as junior Mack Lauder, hitting .324 and also driving in 12. The Bantams have manufactured runs with their typically terrific baserunning, stealing 45 bases (leading the league) and only getting caught 4 times. Admittedly the pitching has not been stellar, getting touched up to the tune of a 6.03 ERA. Star reliever Erik Mohl ’19 has yet to find his groove (17.0 IP, 5.29) and no pitcher has made more than 2 starts yet so we’re waiting for answers this weekend in terms of a set rotation. But if there was any team to play to get some confidence in a struggling rotation, it would be Bowdoin and their offense.

Prediction: Trinity 3-0

Amherst @ Wesleyan Friday 3/29, Wesleyan @ Amherst Saturday 3/30 (Doubleheader)

If Amherst can find a way to keep the games close, senior closer Mike Dow should be able to shut the door with some of his on-field antics

The series of the weekend is a Little 3 matchup in Middletown that will surely have playoff ramifications. Wesleyan (5-8) has not had a great non-conference performance, and that is because their much-maligned starting rotation has yet to solve the problems that plagued them last year. Mike McCaffrey ‘19’s junior woes have followed him into his senior season, lasting just 8.2 innings across 3 starts, with a 6.23 ERA. Sosa (15.0 IP, 6.00 ERA) and Clare (12.1 IP, 4.38 ERA) have not been much better either. The offense has been rolling, hitting .336 as a team (2^nd) and scoring 99 runs (3^rd), it’s just the 9^th ranked 7.07 ERA that needs improvement. IF Andrew Kauf ’20 has placed himself firmly in the early Player of the Year conversation, pacing Wesleyan with a .474 average, 27 hits, and 19 RBI. They just need some pitching. Amherst (6-4) has had an unremarkable start in either direction. They’re 5^th in the league in both batting average (.317) and runs scored (86). Their pitching has been quite good, though, second in the league with a 3.82 ERA and a league leading 10.43 K/9. CF Joseph Palmo ’21 (.432, 1 HR, 11 RBI) and freshman IF Daniel Qin (.387, 1 HR, 8 RBI) have been the guys doing at the dish so far for the Mammoths, which should be exciting for a team that is yet to get its top returners going. On the mound it’s been RHP Wilson Taylor ’19 (10.1 IP, 1-0, 1.74 ERA) who has shone the brightest out of a rotation that could really use some more help from the guys behind it. Amherst has the second worst fielding percentage in the league at .932, but their mistakes have been incredibly costly, as just 33 of the 60 runs they’ve allowed have been earned. The pitching has been good, and you could argue that they’ve just been a little unlucky to start the season. When you take into consideration that 2 of their 4 losses are against ranked opponents, then you realize they’ve been a pretty good team, as opposed to a Wesleyan team that is still trying to find itself defensively.

Prediction: Amherst 2-1

Mammoth-Sized Shoes to Fill: NESCAC West Preview

Amherst College Mammoths

Head Coach: J.P. Pyne, 1st Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 8-4

Key Losses:

OF Ariel Kenney (.362, 4 HRs, 25 RBI)

IF Harry Roberson (.302, 27 RBI, 38 H)

IF Max Steinhorn (.365, 1 HR, 20 RBI)

LHP Sam Schneider (59.2 IP, 4-2, 2.56 ERA)

Coach Hamm (9 years, 221-113 record)

Key Returners:

OF Joseph Palmo ’21 (.314, 43 H, 15 RBI)

C Severino Simeone ’20 (.243, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 11 runners caught stealing)

IF Nick Nardone (.280, 2 HR, 25 RBI)

RHP Andrew Ferrero (57.0 IP, 4-3, 2.21 ERA)

Biggest Series: Home vs. Middlebury, April 19th-20th

Realistically, this division is 3 teams—Amherst, Wesleyan, and Middlebury—competing for 2 playoff spots. Amherst should have the talent and experience to handle Williams and Hamilton relatively easily (I like that Amherst gets Williams early in the year before a young Ephs team
gets to figure it all out), and whoever comes out on top in their series vs. Wesleyan, it won’t be a sweep. If Amherst can win this series vs. Midd, either 2-1 or 3-0, they should be a lock for the postseason.

Everything Else

Despite being the reigning NESCAC champions, the Mammoths unfortunately have more questions than answers coming into this season. Losing three all-league players and the ace of your rotation will always bring some uncertainty, Amherst had to conduct a coaching search as well this summer. J.P Pyne takes over the program from Clark University after previous HC of nine years Brian Hamm departed for the same position at Eastern Connecticut State. While players undoubtedly win games, it will be interesting to see what kind of effect is felt with a first-year head coach. Joseph Palmo ’21 has already begun to fill the void that first team all-leaguer Ariel Kenney left behind in the outfield, garnering the most recent NESCAC Player of the Week award. If 3B Nick Nardone ’20 and C Seve Simeone ’20 can do the same for Harry Roberson and Max Steinhorn in the infield, Amherst will have a chance to repeat as champions.

Wesleyan University Cardinals

Head Coach: Mark Woodworth, 18th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 8-4

Key Losses:

OF Matt Jeye (.347, 1 HR, 36 RBI)

Key Returners:

OF Alex Cappitelli ’20 (.367, 2 HR, 34 RBI)

OF Danny Rose ‘20 (.361, 17 XBH, 24 RBI)

LHP Kelvin Sosa ’21 (46.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 9.5 K/9)

LHP Mike McCaffrey (53.0 IP, 5.60 ERA, 9.7 K/9)

Biggest Series: Away @ Amherst, March 29th-30th

While I think Wesleyan is the best team in this division on paper, that isn’t where the games are played. McCaffrey and Sosa’s pitching performances (see below) in the opening series against a Little Three rival will tell Cardinal fans just how much confidence they can have in this team. While it is obviously a matchup between the top teams in the division and has playoff ramifications, it is more so just a great opportunity to see if the talent in Middletown will come to play this year.

Everything Else

Kelvin Sosa needs to improve in order to give the Cardinals a chance this year

Wesleyan certainly seems to be the favorite in this division this year. They return 78.4% of their innings pitched from last year’s staff, as well as some of their top guys in the field, namely junior outfielders Alex Cappitelli and Danny Rose. But this team’s season rests on the shoulders of lefties Mike McCaffrey ’19 and Kelvin Sosa ’21. McCaffrey never came close to finding his form last year, someone who many thought had a chance to be the Pitcher of the Year in the NESCAC. The reason for that is because we have all seen McCaffrey has the stuff to dominate in this league, evidenced by his league leading 57 strikeouts. But he also led the league in walks, with 48. In fact, McCaffrey was joined by the aforementioned Kelvin Sosa (4th-26) near the top of the walks leaderboard. If their top pitchers can throw strikes, they’ll win the division going away. But if their early season results are any indicator (55 Ks to 51 BB), it’s going to be a grind.

Middlebury College Panthers

Head Coach: Mike Leonard, 3rd Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 6-6

Key Losses:

P Robert Erickson (48.2 IP, 3-3, 3.51 ERA)

Key Returners:

RHP Colby Morris ’19 (64.1 IP, 5-4, 1.68 ERA)

IF Justin Han ’20 (.369 AVG, .528 OBP, 22 SB)

IF Brooks Carroll ’20 (.963 FP, 7 2B, 17 RBI)

IF Hayden Smith ’20 (.364, 36 H, 22 RBI)

Biggest Series: Away @ Williams, April 12th-13th

Anyone who has played in this league or followed it, in any sport, knows the importance of winning games against teams you’re better than. The regular season is always decided by the top teams matching up against each other, but you cannot handicap yourself by losing to lesser opponents. Middlebury closes the season with series’ at Amherst and home to Wesleyan, but they cannot come into those games at 3-3 or probably even 4-2. They need to win this series against Williams, and probably win it handily.

Everything Else

The Panthers took another step towards becoming a NESCAC contender, coming just short in a last gasp run at the NESCAC playoffs. They return the reigning Pitcher of Year in righty Colby Morris ’19, and a stacked infield. In order to take the next step up they need to find a way to score some runs, namely in the power department. They were 4th in the league in runs last season but only 7th with just 9 home runs. They are clearly great at hitting for contact and hitting for average, but they need some more star power if they are to steal a few games when the bats go cold or when they run into a good pitcher.

Williams College Ephs

Head Coach: Bill Barrale, 12th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 6-6

Key Losses:

IF Jack Roberts (.287, 1 HR, 21 RBI)

C Adam Dulsky (.313, 1 HR, 16 RBI)

Key Returners:

OF Mike Stamas ’20 (.321, 1 HR, 13 RBI)

LHP John Lamont ’20 (40.0 IP, 4-1, 1.80 ERA) –in 2017

IF Kellen Hatheway ’19 (.228, 2 HR, 11 RBI)

Biggest Series: Home vs. Amherst April 5th-6th

Not only because it’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of collegiate athletics, but this series will be huge for the Ephs as it is their opener in divisional play. I think this is going to be a year of ups and downs for Williams, a young and unproven team riding the momentum of a long season. If they get smoked in three games, they might not recover the rest of the way, but if they are competitive in every game and even manage to take 1 or 2 off of their archrivals, it could boost their confidence for the rest of the season.

Everything Else

2018 was nothing but bad luck for the Ephs. Star pitcher Johnny Lamont ’20 missed his entire sophomore campaign, decimating an already bare cabinet of arms in Williamstown. Freshman IF Erik Pappas had been a bright spot in the lineup, hitting .415 before going down with a season ending injury after 15 games. There is certainly talent on this roster, however. IF Kellen Hatheway ’19 didn’t have the junior season he was hoping to after terrific freshman and sophomore years, but absolutely has First-Team potential. This team is probably still a year or two away, but if they can stay healthy this year, there should be some bright spots and building blocks.

Hamilton College Continentals

Head Coach: Tim Byrnes, 12th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 2-10

Key Losses:

None

Key Returners:

IF Matt Zaffino ’21 (.359, 3 HR, 22 RBI)

IF Jarrett Lee ’21 (.305, 29 H, 13 RBI

Biggest Series: Home vs. Williams, April 26th-27th

Matt Zaffino is looking to make the jump to “star” status in his second season

Hamilton plays Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Amherst in that order before their divisional finale vs. Williams. Quite frankly, 2 or more wins out of those 9 would be a win for the Continentals. Their performance against their next most equal division opponent in Williams to close out the season will, rightly or wrongly, determine how Hamilton should feel about their season.

Everything Else

Hamilton are in a peculiar spot this season. They went 4-8 at the bottom of the NESCAC West but they return just about everyone. However, you’ll notice there are only two names listed as “key” returners. They return everyone, but those returners were not amongst the league’s top producers, save for Rookie of the Year Matt Zaffino, who has Player of the Year talent. This might be a good team this year, but they have Amherst, Wesleyan, and Middlebury on their schedule. Their record is going to reflect that.