Gavin Schaefer-Hood – Nothing But NESCAC

What Could Have Been: NESCAC Baseball Opening Day Recap

Not having any spring sports played certainly makes our job difficult given that there isn’t much to write about, but we haven’t forgotten about the baseball that we typically cover around this time of year. In fact, this weekend was supposed to be the opening weekend of conference play for everyone, so we thought we’d honor that with an article recapping the opening day games as if they had actually been played. Please understand that these situations are all completely made up and somewhat dramatized so work with us a little bit. This article was co-written by Ryan Moralejo and Cameron Carlson, and we’re simply doing our best to keep people entertained during these tough times, so take our opinions with a grain of salt because we have no idea how these games really would have gone. We tried to keep lineups and situations somewhat realistic, but certain things were hyperbolized purely for entertainment’s sake. With that being said, let’s find out how each team did (or would have done) on Friday:

Williams @ Hamilton (Neutral Site @ Tampa, FL)

It’s pretty bizarre to have NESCAC play occur so far out of state, but it’s equally as awesome to have a venue like the New York Yankees Spring Training Complex host the beginning of league play. First up we have Hamilton, who (to be quite honest) has been pretty irrelevant in a division that is usually quite competitive and volatile in terms of the playoff hunt. Since 2013 (because that’s as deep as the Hamilton baseball website will allow me to dive into an archival list teeming with underwhelming seasons), the Continentals have finished below the .500 mark against their divisional foes; however, they did bring in some young talent a few years back such as the swiss army knife Matt Zaffino ‘21, SS Ethan Wallis ‘21 and RHP/celeb-shot hitter Gavin Schaefer-Hood ‘21, the 2020 season would (hypothetically) be the time in which Hamilton could surprise a few folks. For the Ephs, last year’s run to the NESCAC Playoffs was in large part due to their plethora of loud bats, and despite returning Preseason 3rd-Team All American Eric Pappas ‘21, a regression was absolutely on the horizon. LHP John Lamont ‘20, a freshman phenom who sadly lost his sophomore season to Tommy John and never fully returned to his dominant form, would seem to be in line to start opening day of league play.

Game Recap

Game one of the three-game series pitted Schaefer-Hood against Lamont. Pappas led off the game with a scorching double to left-center (no surprises there), and despite retiring the next two batters, Schaefer-Hood allowed a two-out single to Erik Mini ‘21, plating Pappas and giving the Ephs the early advantage. Lamont struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning, firing up both of Williams’ supporters in the stands. Schaefer-Hood settled down and delivered his best performance to date, allowing a total of four hits in seven innings of one-run ball with six punch outs. Lamont faced the minimum during the first three innings but began to struggle with control the second time through the lineup; after back-to-back walks to open the bottom half of the fourth, Zaffino barreled a ball that clipped the left-field line and rolled to the fence, scoring Wallis and moving Brady Slinger ‘22 90 feet away from taking the lead. Keeping the momentum going, Matt Cappelletti ‘21 (every time I read that last name I have to say it with an Italian accent) knocked a single through the right side to score both Slinger and Zaffino, giving the Continentals their first lead of the day. The southpaw found a way to exit the fourth without allowing further damage in large part due to a much-needed 6-4-3 double play with runners on the corners to end the frame.

Eric Pappas ’21 (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)

Hamilton added to their two-run advantage in the following inning; Sam Rowley ‘20 worked a ten-pitch walk to lead things off and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, Wallis dumped a flare into shallow left center that fell just out of reach for Mike Stamas ‘20. Lamont would again work out of a jam to keep Hamilton from tacking on, ending his afternoon with four runs in five innings of work, striking out seven while walking three. With the score remaining 4-1 through the seventh-inning, the Ephs began to feel the game slipping away and got loud in the dugout, but failed to do any damage in the top half of the eighth (Alexa, play Sweet Caroline). In the final frame, catcher David Driscoll ‘22 worked a two-out walk against RHP Jamie Hauswirth ‘22 (c’mon Jamie, two-out walks will kill you). Hauswirth beared down and induced a ground ball off the bat of Mini, but Slinger short-armed the throw and it got away from first baseman Graham McOsker ‘20. With runners at second and third and the dangerous Pappas on deck, Hauswirth again delivered in a pressure situation, forcing Jakob Cohn ‘23 to fly out to center. The victory was the Continentals’ first opening-day NESCAC win since 2011.

Final Score: Hamilton 4-1

Trinity @ Tufts (Medford, MA)

In a battle of the two preseason East Division heavyweights* (asterisk because we all know who Trinity’s Daddy really is in that Division), the Bantams head to Medford oozing with confidence; having notched a slew of quality wins, including taking two of three from Southern Maine and a sweep against Amherst, the Jumbos don’t scare the boys from Hartford. If you recall correctly, the Bantams should have taken the series last year until the pitching staff absolutely collapsed in the ninth inning, blowing a 6-2 lead that was capped off by a two-out, two-strike grand slam by JP Knight ‘20. While the Jumbos did lose a significant amount of talent, including 2019 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year RJ Hall ‘19 and First-Team All-Energy Casey Santos-Ocampo ‘19, they returned most of their pop in the lineup, including every single arm from their pitching staff with the exception of Hall. Coach Casey always has one of the most disciplined and hard-working teams in the league (most likely because they’re absolutely terrified of the man), so this series was sure to be one of, if not the most hyped regular season series of the year.

Game Recap

Tufts opted to roll with RHP Aidan Tucker ‘22, who as a freshman impressed with a 7-1 record and a 50:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Trinity countered with fellow sophomore RHP Cameron Crowley ‘22, who adopts a pitch-to-contact type of mentality and led the Bantams with an 8-2 record and a 2.42 ERA in 2019. Tucker worked a quick 1-2-3 inning, but the same can’t be said for Crowley as a one-out hit by pitch quickly went awry when Peter DiMaria ‘22 launched a two-run moonshot to left. Crowley regrouped and retired the next two batters, but the damage was done and the Jumbos took a 2-0 lead into the second inning. After fanning Vincent Capone ‘21, A-Roid – I mean Alex Rodriguez ‘20 – smacked a double to right-center to get things going for Trin. 2B Robbie Cronin ‘21 kept the bats going with a single up the middle, putting runners at the corners; however, Tucker worked his magic and got the third baseman Patrick Dillon ‘23 to roll over on a 2-0 curveball into a 5-4-3 double play, stranding both runners and keeping the Bantams off the scoreboard. Crowley retired the first two batters in the second before hitting Ryan Daues ‘21 on what clearly seemed to be yet another traditional Tufts case of leaning into a pitch. Coach Adamski was irate and let the home plate umpire know his feelings on the matter but did not leave the dugout. Crowley stranded Daues at first base after fielding a comebacker.

Coach Casey and Kyle Cortese ’22 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)

The Jumbos stretched their lead in the bottom of the third; after SS Elias Varinos ‘20 singled through the left side with one out, Knight tattooed a ball off the left-center wall, easily scoring Varinos. After a groundout to second moved Knight over to third, Kyle Cortese ‘21 dropped a perfectly placed bleeder in right to give the home team a four-run advantage. Tucker continued to evade trouble until the fifth, when OF Matt Koperniak ‘20 launched a two-run shot to put the Bantams on the board and simultaneously cut the deficit in half. Crowley returned to the mound for the bottom of the fifth, and promptly plunked OF Justin Mills ‘20 on a 1-2 fastball on what this time was a clear indication of the batter leaning over the dish to take a HBP. Coach Adamski went absolutely bezerk on the home plate umpire and bellowed phrases that can not be repeated in this recap to the point where he is ejected from the game. Adamski got the last laugh, however, when after continuing his heated conversation with the field umpire, he promptly took first base and threw it into right field. Crowley managed to evade any further trouble in the fifth, and a fired up Trinity side came into the dugout ready to rake. The only problem is Tucker tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, staring down the Trinity dugout after catching Brett Stevenson ‘20 looking at strike three to end the frame.

Crowley ran into some trouble after giving up a pair of singles but worked his way out of the pickle in his final inning of work, and the score remained stuck at 4-2 heading into the seventh. Coach Casey decided to roll out Tucker despite his pitch count nearing 100; after allowing a leadoff single to Mack Lauder ‘20, a wild pitch moved him up 90 feet. Koperniak worked his magic again and singled to left to score Lauder, but was foolishly thrown out at 2^nd trying to catch the left-fielder napping. Tucker was relieved after 6+ innings of solid work, and Steven Landry ‘22 came out of the bullpen to retire the next three hitters in order as the Jumbos now found themselves leading by just a single run. Tufts went to work against RHP Justin Olson ‘21, with DiMaria lacing his second double of the afternoon down the left-field line to open things off. After a sacrifice bunt from Mills, Knight once again came up clutch and clapped a ball way over the left fielder’s head for an RBI double. Olson was relieved by veteran Andrew DeRoche ‘20, but Daues rudely greeted him with a single back up the middle to score Knight and stretch the Jumbos’ lead to 6-3. With the eighth inning featuring virtually no action, the Bantams were left with three outs to score three runs off of closer Spencer Langdon ‘20. The senior didn’t bat an eye, fanning two consecutive hitters before securing the game with a weak infield popup.

Final Score: Tufts 6-3

Bates @ Bowdoin (Neutral Site @ Colby College)

With the Mules down in Florida and the typical Maine winters preventing either team from preparing their respective fields for game shape, both coaches agreed a neutral setting would be perfectly acceptable. The Bobcats came out of the gate in 2020 on a sluggish note, having dropped seven in a row after winning their opening game in the Sunshine State. If you look back at previous years, however, the ‘Cats have notoriously started on the slower slide and tend to ramp up their quality of play into another gear once conference play kicks in. For the Polar Bears, the 2020 season seems to be more of a rebuilding project with the loss of some key upperclassmen from both sides of the ball; however, the young roster no doubt possesses plenty of talent – in fact more than enough to take the series from the favored Bobcats if the latter comes into this series with a passive mindset.

Game Recap

Nolan Collins ’20 (Courtesy of Bates Athletics)

For the Bobcats, senior ace Nolan “Dirty 30” Collins ‘20 took the mound in his usual Friday role. The hard-throwing righty dominated the Polar Bears a season ago, tossing a complete game with eight K’s, allowing only one hit after his first inning of work. The Polar Bears countered with RHP Colby Lewis ‘20, an effective pitcher who traditionally fills up the zone and pitches to contact. Lewis started off the game with a casual 1-2-3 inning, successfully mixing in a slew of offspeed pitches and forcing the Bates’ hitters to chase out of the zone. Similar to last season’s opening game between the two, the Polar Bears struck first: Eric Mah ‘20 led off the bottom half of the first with a single to right, taking second on a passed ball. Following a sacrifice bunt, Brendan O’Neil’s fly ball to center was just deep enough to plate Mah from third, giving the Polar Bears a 1-0 advantage. Collins fanned his first victim of the day to end the inning, burying a slider in the dirt to get right-fielder Gavin Cann ‘22 check swinging (you could hear “It’s not a sword” echoing out of the Bates dugout). A few innings went by and the score remained unchanged; Lewis faced one over the minimum through three innings, while Collins settled in nicely and retired six in a row, four of those coming via the punchout.

The Bobcats finally got things going in the fourth, with senior catcher Jack Arend ‘20 (playing through a broken hamate bone) working a leadoff walk. Newcomer Henry Jameison ‘23 patiently smacked a get-me-over curveball into the right-center gap, scoring Arend and knotting the game at one apiece. After Bryan Gotti’s ‘22 deep fly ball to right moved Jameison up to third, Antonio Jareno ‘22 knocked a single just past the outstretched arms of Mah at short, giving Bates a 2-1 lead. The hit parade didn’t stop there, however, as Zach Avila ‘20 ‘21, Giovanni Torres ‘20 and Will Sylvia ‘20 each found barrels of their own. When all was said and done, the Bobcats scratched across four runs, which was more than enough for Collins to work with. The senior workhorse ended up going eight strong, allowing two runs (one earned) on just four hits with an impressive ten strikeouts. The Polar Bears attempted to claw their way back in the seventh, getting a run across on some defensive miscues in the seventh. They had an opportunity to cut into the lead further on a single to left from Stephen Simoes ‘23, but left-fielder Jon Lindgren ‘20 absolutely hosed a runner at the plate to keep the Bobcats’ advantage at 4-2. Bates responded in the top half of the eighth with some more offense of their own: facing RHP Peter Mansfield ‘20, Pat Beaton ‘20 (pinch-hitting for Lindgren) worked a leadoff walk. Beaton promptly stole second, and a beautifully-executed hit and run by Christian Beal ‘21 found a gap in right-center as he slid into third with a triple. Arend’s single up the middle would plate another run for the Bobcats, extending their lead to 6-2. After Collins finished off the eighth and RHP Ryan Winn ‘21 worked a quick ninth, Coach Martin called on senior closer Miles Michaud ‘20 to shut the door. After plunking OF James McCarthy ‘21 with a heater in the back, Michaud turned a comebacker into a 1-6-3 double play, taking the wind out of the Polar Bears’ sails. The man they call “Slenda” caught Nick Lam ‘22 looking on a slide-piece for strike three, ending the ballgame.

Final Score: Bates 6-2

Middlebury @ Colby (Neutral Site @ Orlando, FL)

It’s always nice to start NESCAC play in sunny Florida, particularly on the back end of a successful spring break trip. While this game may not officially count towards the NESCAC standings, it pits two interesting teams against each other with both teams trying to make some noise before they head back up north. For Middlebury this game represents an opportunity to show that they’re the favorites in this league, behind an impressive pitching staff with the dangerous 1-2 punch of RHP Michael Farinelli ’21 and LHP Alex Price ’22. They also return speed demon Justin Han ’20 and power-hitter Henry Strmecki ’21 who is a legit candidate for farthest ball hit this season with the ugliest swing. On the Colby side, Frank Driscoll ’21 is truly one of the best starting pitchers in the league, but they boast a relatively unproven lineup. Will Phillips ’21 and Will Wessman ’21 are important returning pieces, but it’s hard to know who would step up for the Mules this year.

Game Recap

Justin Han ’20 (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics)

The matchup of Farinelli vs. Driscoll proved to be quite an exciting pitcher’s duel. Working around a leadoff walk to Justin Han ’20 in the top of the first, Driscoll was able to strike out the side, stranding Han at second base. Farinelli responded by striking out the Colby side in the bottom half of the first, despite 3-hitter Dylan Nastri ’22 yanking a ball down the right field line that missed the foul pole by mere inches. Over the next 3 innings Driscoll worked his way out of a few jams, keeping the Panthers scoreless through 4. Farinelli put together 1-2-3 innings in both the 2^nd and 3^rd, but a leadoff triple by Will Phillips ’21 in the 4^th put the Mules in an excellent position and forced Middlebury to bring the infield in. After inducing an Andrew Russell ’21 pop up to the infield, Nastri was able to draw a walk, putting runners on the corners with just one out. A Will Wessman ’21 fly ball was just deep enough to score Phillips, putting Colby ahead 1-0. However, Farinelli punched out Drew Miller ’23 to minimize the damage and end the inning. The Panthers were finally able to get to Driscoll in the 5^th behind a gap shot from Alec Ritch ’22 and a two-out, bloop single from Alan Guild ’20 to even the score.

The game remained tied through 7, when Coach Leonard decided that Farinelli’s day was done. He handed the ball to known psychopath George Goldstein ’21, who worked around a walk in the 8^th to keep the score knotted at 1 as they headed to the final frame. Driscoll, still in the game to start the 9^th despite a pitch count at 117 and counting, surrendered a leadoff single to Justin Han ’20 and Coach Woods turned to Patrick Carbone ’21 out of the bullpen. After Han picked up his 4^th and 5^th stolen bases of the day to get to 3^rd base, the floodgates opened for the Panthers. A Strmecki home run was followed by back-to-back-to-back doubles from Andrew Hennings ’20, Alec Ritch ’22, and Hayden Smith ’20 to make the score 5-1 without an out recorded in the top half of the 9^th. At this point Coach Woods made another change, bringing Wessman in from first base to pitch, and he got two quick outs before allowing an RBI single to Gray Goolsby ’20, adding to the Panther lead. Wessman was finally able to retire the side, catching Brooks Carroll ’20 looking to end the inning. Goldstein allowed a one-out single to George Schmidt ’20, but was able to secure the win for Middlebury by striking out the final two hitters.

Final Score: Middlebury 6-1

Wesleyan @ Amherst (Amherst, MA)

Two teams perennially in contention; Amherst and Wesleyan both find themselves right in the mix again this year in a crowded West Division. The Mammoths suffer the loss of their top two starting pitchers from last season in Andrew Ferrero ’19 and Davis Brown ’19, along with closer Mike Dow ’19. They don’t lose much from their lineup, aside from breakout star Chase Henley ’19 and former Little League World Series hero Nick Nardone ’19. This leaves their pitching largely in question, however they bring back impressive lefty Andrew Nagel ’21 who will start game one. Wesleyan, on the other hand, loses key bats Andrew Keith ’19 and Danny Rose ’19, but not a ton of pitching. Former ace Mike McCaffrey ’19 sputtered out at the end of his career and relief man Ryan Earle ’19 didn’t really impress in his final season either. An important note is that Wesleyan lost LHP Kelvin Sosa ’21 after he left the school in the first semester for undisclosed reasons*. This game is sure to have great impact on playoff position in the west at the end of the year.

*While the reasons may be undisclosed, there are some pretty nasty rumors out there so it does not appear that Sosa left the school on good terms.

Game Recap

Jonny Corning ’20 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)

While Amherst sent lefty Andrew Nagel ’21 to the hill, Wesleyan countered with funky right-hander Pat Clare who decided to put on the Cardinal uniform for his 5^th year with the program. Wesleyan got on the board early in this one as Andrew Kauf ’20 crushed an 0-2 pitch into the left-center gap to score Adam Geibel ’22 from 1^st, making it 1-0 Cardinals. Clare set down the Amherst side in order in the first, but doubles from Stephen Burke ’21 and Severino Simeone ’20, followed by a single from Will Murphy ’20 made the score 2-1 in favor of the Mammoths after 2 innings. Tanner Fulkerson ’20 led off the top of the 3^rd with a single followed by a walk from Ryan Molinari ’23 put two runners on with nobody out. A throwing error by SS Stephen Burke ’21 allowed a run to score and put runners at 2^nd and 3^rd, still with no outs in the inning. Nagel then induced a weak pop up for the first out and followed that by walking Kauf to load the bases. A one-hopper by Wes Fritch ’22 was snagged at 2^nd base by Daniel Qin ’22 and turned into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame, keeping the score tied at 2. After two scoreless innings, Jonny Corning ’20 broke the tie in the top of the 6^th with a solo shot deep to straightaway left, chasing Nagel from the game with just one out in the inning. Based on the recommendation from first-year assistant coach Kyle Bonicki, Coach Pyne turned to one of his senior captains Zach Horwitz ’20 to escape further trouble. A walk followed by a strikeout and a single from Fulkerson put runners on the corners with two outs, bringing up the top of the Cardinal lineup. A huge break for Amherst came at this point when Fulkerson tried to advance on a ball in the dirt but Seve Simeone ’20 picked it up and gunned down the runner at 2^nd to get out of the jam.

Coach Woodworth – not known for his game management skills – decided to make a change and bring in Joe Mescall ’21 to pitch the 6^th despite Clare having set down the last 8 hitters in order. Mescall immediately let up a bomb to Joseph Palmo ’21, proving that Coach Woody absolutely made the right decision with the pitching change. This was followed a few hitters later by a pinch-hit, 2-out, 2-run homer from Topher Brown ’20, making the score 5-3 in favor of the Mammoths. After a scoreless 7^th inning, Coach Woodworth made another mind-boggling decision by pinch-hitting for Andrew Kauf ’20 – likely the team’s best hitter – in the top of the 8^th. Miraculously, pinch-hitter/right-handed pitcher Nolan Webb ’20 delivered with a single to leadoff the inning. A double by Wes Fritch ’22 and a sac-fly from Jonny Corning ’20 brought the Cardinals within 1 with a man on 2^nd and one out in the frame. Coach Pyne decided to hand the ball to sophomore Sachin Nambiar ’22 to relieve Horwitz, who did a nice job keeping Wesleyan at bay for 2+ innings. Nambiar allowed a seeing-eye single to Jake Alonzo ’20, plating Fritch and tying the game at 5 mid-way through the 8^th. Alonzo was asked to relieve Mescall in the bottom half of the 8^th and set down the side in order, sending the game to the 9^th even at 5 apiece.

Things got a little crazy in the 9^th as Ryan Molinari ’23 reached on an error and advanced to 2^nd on a sac bunt. Alex Cappitelli ’20 then hit a soft line drive into right-center field that Kai Terada-Herzer ’21 laid out for and appeared to come up with a miraculous catch, however the umpires claimed that the ball hit the ground first and thus it was ruled a trap. Molinari had taken off on contact believing that there were two outs, so at first it looked like Amherst might have come up with an inning-ending double play. Because the ball touched the ground, however, Molinari was able to score with ease, giving Wesleyan a crucial 6-5 lead. Pinch-hitter Nolan Webb ‘20 delivered yet again, placing a ball perfectly down the right field line, scoring Cappitelli from first and scampering to 2^ndfor a double. Nambiar set down the side after this, but the damage was done. Alonzo retired the Amherst side in order in the bottom of the 9^th, giving the Cardinals a wild victory in this one.

Final Score: Wesleyan 7-5

Lots of Confusion: Power Rankings 4/22

Power Rankings 4/22

It’s hard to believe it’s the last full week of April and we’re just now getting our first Power Rankings of the 2019 NESCAC baseball season, but the last time I checked this is, in fact, an outdoor sport, and these games are, in fact, contested outdoors, in the Northeast. To be perfectly honest with you, we probably shouldn’t even have a Power Rankings yet. Three teams have played 6 league games, three teams have played 7, three teams have played 9, and one team has played 10. Yes, every team has played in the ballpark of 25 overall games, but how much can you really factor in those midweek games when every single coach in the NESCAC is saving his top wings for the league series’ over the weekend? Regardless, I’m not an excuses guy. I have been selected as the man for this task, and it will be accomplished with minimal cop outs and excuses. Let’s get weird.

1. Tufts (21-5, 6-1)

The holder of the best league winning percentage, the team at the top of a healthy amount of both offensive and defensive statistical categories, and the team that most comfortably passes the eye test. Tufts at this moment is the best team in the league. If they didn’t get rained out in Maine this past weekend they probably would’ve taken two more off of Colby, which would have pushed them to very strong 8-1 league record and put them in the pole position for the 1 seed in the NESCAC East. All year the Jumbos have shown an incredible amount of balance and depth all over the field—up and down the order, and up and down the bullpen. Their lineup card includes a staggering 7 of the top 21 batting averages in the league, and that doesn’t include OF Casey Santos-Ocampo ’19 who is slashing a measly .308/.458/.516, hitting 4 HRs and tacking on 21 RBIs. Heading up the rotation is RHP R.J. Hall ’19, leading the league with a 1.55 ERA. Prettay, prettay, good.

2. Trinity (24-5, 7-2)

Trinity and Tufts could probably be 1A and 1B, but as I previously indicated, I’m somewhat giving Tufts the tiebreaker because I think the rain prevented them from sweeping Colby and giving them the clear best record in the league. Luckily these teams haven’t played each other yet, and there is a really, really, good chance that the divisional crown comes directly down to their head-to-head series. Regardless, these two teams are currently head and shoulders above everybody else. Trinity has the best overall record in the league at 24-5, and for good measure they’re undefeated (3-0) against the NESCAC West. The Bantams haven’t gotten to this spot with the same top to bottom firepower as Tufts, but OF Matt Koperniak ’20 (.373, 4 HR, 22 RBI) has as good of a chance as anyone to win Player of the Year, and RHP Andrew DeRoche ’20 (38.1 IP, 5-1, 2.11 ERA) has just as good of a chance to win Pitcher of the Year. The Bantams are tied for the league lead in fielding percentage (.969%), and as always (although Middlebury is really trying to emulate them this year) no one runs the bases better than Trinity—104 stolen bases, twice as many as every team but one (Midd).

3. Middlebury (17-8, 3-3)

This is where things start to get a little spicy. Yes, Middlebury is technically tied for 2nd in the division, and you would certainly like for their 3-3 divisional record to not solely consist of games against Williams and Hamilton—not exactly recent league juggernauts. Yes, I prefaced these rankings with the fact that you really can’t judge these teams too heavily on non-league results. But who am I supposed to put over them? Amherst? Wesleyan? The only choice for the third spot realistically is the Middlebury Panthers. Their 17-8 record is the third best in the league behind the two teams ranked above them, and they’re the only team in the league to have
scored more than 200 runs and allowed less than 100. They have the third best overall batting average (.308) and the best team ERA by a pretty wide margin (3.07). And while I just extolled Trinity’s baserunning, something that has been a pillar of their program in recent memory, Middlebury has actually been the best in the league at swiping bases, 103-117, a whopping .880 stolen base percentage. This is a really solid team and while you’d obviously like them to have a better league record against the presumed bottom dwellers in the division, I think they’re going to show up and take both series from Amherst and Wesleyan. They’re 3-3 but they have a run differential of +18 in those games. If they either learn how to close out games or maybe if the ball just bounces their way a little more often, they’ll be fine.

4. Amherst (14-11, 5-4)

You can classify the next four teams under the “Meh” category. Yeah, they’ve had decent results and are all firmly in the hunt for the postseason, but would you really place any serious trust in them in a must win game? Regardless, I think Amherst is the best of these 4 teams, so this is where they end up. It’s been a weird year for the defending champs who I think are just yet to play to their potential. They’re 7th in batting average (.293) and 5th in team ERA (4.31), but we know the talent is there, and it’s a testament to them that they still lead the division despite their average stats. Am I talking myself out of this pick? Maybe.

5. Bates (13-12, 4-3)

For whatever it’s worth, I absolutely hate this pick. The Power Rankings are for sure supposed to be the ranking of the teams and not necessarily a forecast of their season outlook, but it is so hard to look at this Bates team and get past the fact that they somehow went 3-3 combined against the two best teams in the league, sit at 4-3, and have 5 divisional games left against Bowdoin and Colby. If they go 4-1 in those games and Tufts takes 2 out of 3 against Trinity, Bates will somehow have snuck into the playoffs over Trinity for the second consecutive year, taking the head-to-head tiebreaker at 8-4. Despite mediocre stats across the board (2nd worst offense in the league, 6 th in team ERA), the Bobcats continue to find ways to win games. They also have a legit no. 1 pitcher in Nolan Collins ’20, who leads the league in innings pitched with 47.0 and is 6th in the league with a 2.87 ERA. He also leads all starters with a 8.43 K/9—he’s not just getting lucky and pitching to contact, he has legit punchout stuff. This ranking could look really shortsighted in two weeks, but for now it’s where I feel comfortable.

6. Williams (17-7, 3-3)

It has been a really bizarre year for the Ephs. They jumped out to an awesome 12-1 start on the back of some insane come from behind wins, and while they’ve cooled off since, they’ve shown that it wasn’t exactly a fluke—most noticeably in their series win over Middlebury. To start with the positives, the two best hitters in the league both wear purple and gold this year in IF Doug Schaffer ’19 (.478, 41 RBI), and OF Erik Pappas ‘21 (.457). Personally, anytime you have two guys at the top of your order that have essentially a 50/50 chance of getting a hit, I think that is a good thing. Additionally, Williams has solved a lot of their pitching woes that plagued them for all of last year—their 4.27 ERA is 3 rd in the NESCAC, and they did much of this winning with star SS Kellen Hatheway ’19 on the disabled list, having only recently returned from injury and playing in just 14 games, but hitting .404 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in those 14 games. But I’m still not sold. The pitching numbers have been as good as they have been because their rotation has done a really good job of avoiding the bad start, allowing them to compete in every game. LHP John Lamont ’20 (19.1 IP in 5 starts, 1-2, 4.19 ERA) is yet to look like himself following Tommy John surgery, and the rest of the rotation has yet to show they have top of the line ability that can win them really big NESCAC games.

7. Wesleyan (12-13, 3-3)

It feels weird to say that the Cardinals are the 7th best team in the league but you are what your record says you are and the boys from Middletown are a sub .500 ball club right now. The pitching staff that we continue to go on and on about from a talent and consistency standpoint just refuses to show up. RHP Pat Clare ’19 has been nails out of the bullpen (7.09 K/9, 2.02 ERA), but he’s not a starter. It’s been the same song and dance with LHP Kelvin Sosa ’21, whose 7.50 K/9 would jump off the page a lot more if it wasn’t for the 25 BB that lead the league. We’ve seen the talent, we know the strikeout ability, but it just hasn’t been there on a start to start basis, and with Middlebury on the schedule next, it’s quickly turning into do or die time for Wesleyan.

8. Hamilton (14-14, 4-5)

Hamilton has definitely impressed a lot of people this year, myself included. It looks like they’re probably going to come up a little short of making the playoffs—they definitely need to sweep Williams (unlikely) to get to 7-5 and have some things bounce their way, but to even be able to write that sentence is a testament to the jump they’ve taken up. RHP Gavin Schaefer-Hood ’21 (43.0 IP, 6-1, 2.72 ERA) is a legit ace in this league and while reigning Rookie of the Year IF Matt Zaffino ’21 (.301, 14 RBI) hasn’t taken the jump up yet, they clearly still have the talent. OF Ethan Wallis ’21 (.372 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI) also adds to what appears to be a very talented Continental senior class.

9. Bowdoin (5-19-1, 3-7)

I went back and forth on these last two a lot, probably more than I should have. But ultimately despite being 5-19-1, Bowdoin did sweep Colby so it’s pretty hard not to slide them above. The issue has been a lot of things for Bowdoin this year, but it all starts with the offense, which ranks last in both average (.230) and runs scored (94). Yes, the ERA is also dead last at 6.61 but the offense has just shown no signs of life at all that it’s tough to have faith either way. They swept Colby on the backs of uber talented two-way players Brandon Lopez ’19 and Jack Wilhoite ’19, both of whom are quite good and would have been fun to see utilized in some marquee NESCAC matchups, but it just wasn’t to be.

10. Colby (9-13, 0-7)

Everything was going great for Colby this year until it wasn’t. They came back from spring break at 6-1 and promptly lost 11 games in a row, including 3 to previously winless Bowdoin. Despite all of this they actually still have a positive run differential of +2, a testament to the baseball they were playing before they returned home. They’re clearly just a warm weather team, no shame in that. It kind of reminds me of my 11 year old year of Williamsport. We lost 4 games by 1 run, lost one game by like 8, and then mercy ruled a team in our last game. We finished 1-5 with a run differential of +1. What could have been.

Not Much Left: Stock Report 4/18

Believe it or not, we only have a few weekends left of NESCAC baseball. It feels like just yesterday when we were finishing up our last mid term before Spring break. Spring was upon us with the glowing prospect of a fresh start for many NESCAC teams. The East division vs West division couldn’t be more different right now. The East is headlined by Tufts and Trinity (and sort of Bates). It’s fair to say that Bowdoin and especially Colby are out of the playoff hunt. In the West, it’s really anyone’s ballgame. Amherst leads the conference at 5-4, but with Midd, Williams, and Wesleyan tied for second at 3-3, a positive weekend can swing the standings. Let’s take a look at my stock report from this past weekend.

My longs:

Hamilton

That’s right. I said it. I think Hamilton has a serious shot at earning a playoff spot this year. If I were a true investor, Hamilton would be considered a growth investment. Not an investment like Lyft where profitability is unlikely and the increased vetting process of drivers may seriously hurt the industry. I categorize Hamilton like a Pinterest or Slack. Hamilton has been largely flying under the radar for years in a division that includes the likes of Wesleyan, Amherst, and Midd. Hamilton could always hit without question – their Achilles heel for years has been defense and so-so pitching. I watched Wesleyan’s weekend series two weeks ago against Hamilton. Not only did Hamilton outplay Wes, but they did so in a way that stuck out to me: they were ultra-confident. The infield made clutch plays. Pitchers got outs in critical situations. Everyone did their job to perfection. Hamilton may be sitting in last right now in the conference, but I think that’s only temporary. Wesleyan isn’t the Wesleyan it used to be. Midd is streaky. Williams won’t make it until the end. Amherst graduated so many guys, it’s hard to tell if they’re still dominant. Let’s see.

Matt Koperniak

Koperniak is my value investment. When I analyze the fundamentals of his game, I understand why he’s a leader in many of the main statistical hitting categories. He has the most ABs of many in the league, while still hitting .376. All NESCAC pitchers are definitely throwing the kitchen sink at Koperniak, but he has had an answer for everything and everyone. He’s an all-around player that is exciting to watch. Trinity goes against Hamilton in a non-conference affiar this weekend. I’m really excited to see how Hamilton deals with Koperniak. Like I said before, there’s no question he is the best hitter in the league right now. Will Hamilton still have the same swagger they’ve shown all season by going right after him? Or will they stay away, and nibble the corners. You can’t miss against Koperniak. He’ll make you pay for the smallest of mistakes. We’ll see how that turns out.

My shorts:

Colby

I shorted Bowdoin in my last stock report because they were winless in league play. Now, it’s time to short their local rival. It’s tough for me to do this to Colby because a number of their current players and former players have helped me with pieces throughout the years. The Mules haven’t won a conference game all year. They suprisingly got swept by Bowdoin, and unsuprisingly were swept by Trinity. This weekend doesn’t get any better. The Mules will face Trinity for a three game conference set. The biggest problem for the Mules right now is hitting. The team only has scored fifteen runs in conference play. The pitching hasn’t been terrible, but only scoring fifteen runs in compared to Tufts’ forty-three tells the story. A high point for the Mules is William Wessman. He has played well throughout the year, hitting .316. It is unfortunate that the team hasn’t picked him up. If Colby can somehow beat Tufts, that would help a miserable season.

The West

The West has been stronger than the East in the past few years. Obviously you have Tufts dominating the East under Casey’s tenure, but beyond that, Trinity has been up and down. The Maine schools haven’t been great either. Wesleyan, Amherst, and Middlebury have been putting up competitive teams year in and year out. The West is good this year don’t get me wrong, but they’re not dominant like in years past. Tufts and Trinity are dominant. I don’t see any West team beating those two. The depth in hitting that both teams have outweigh any team from the West. This will be a big weekend for the West as conference games will differentiate teams from one another. We shall see.

Not Quite Halfway: Stock Report 4/10

With 6 of the 10 teams in the league having already played two divisional series, the playoff picture is slowly starting to take shape. It seems like everyone just got back from spring break just yesterday, but we’re all of a sudden staring at some series’ with huge playoff implications. How is everyone heading into those series? Let’s find out.

Stock Up

Parity…maybe?

I don’t want to get too excited about this one just yet, but is it possible we’re on the verge of seeing some fresh faces in the playoffs this year? In the West, Middlebury leads the division at 2-1, but Amherst, Wesleyan, and Hamilton are all hot on their heels at 3-3. Williams is technically in last place, but at 1-2 and a home series against Midd this weekend, a series win would bring them right into the fold at 3-3 or even 4-2. Hamilton’s series win over Wesleyan was surely the biggest reason for the crowded standings, taking 2 out of 3 in fairly impressive fashion. The most impressive thing was that Gavin Schaefer-Hood ’21 actually pitched in their Game 1 loss, outdueled by the Cardinal combo of Kelvin Sosa ’21 and Pat Clare ’19. The Conts won the next two to take the series behind the arms of Brian Lawson ’20 (4 IP, 0 R) and Chris Keane ’20 (3.2 IP, 0 R, SV) in Game 2, and rode the bats in the rubber match in a 11-5 Game 3, led by senior 2B Jordan Northrup’s 4 RBI. In the East, Bowdoin pulled off a shocking 3-0 sweep over their in-state rivals Colby, their first and only three wins of the season, while Bates picked up a much-needed series win over Trinity to keep them firmly in the hunt for the postseason. Trinity and Tufts still appear to be the class of the division, being the two teams with the best records. But baseball is funny like that—one bad weekend here or there and a team like Bates can sneak back into the playoffs again. Bowdoin might be 3-14-1 but the only record that matters now is that they’re 3-3. Will we see some unlikely faces in the NESCAC tournament? Probably not. But after this weekend, those doors are still wide open.

Helping Your Own Cause

Jack Wilhoite is doing everything he can on both sides of the ball

As I just mentioned, the biggest shocker of the weekend was Bowdoin’s 3-0 sweep over Colby. I wrote earlier this year after their incredibly poor start that the Polar Bears had much more talent than their dismal record would indicate. Look no further for that indicator of talent than the performances from seniors Jack Wilhoite ’19 and Brandon Lopez ’19. Wilhoite hit .429 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in that series. One of those home runs turned out to be the decisive hit in a 4-3 Game 2 win, a game in which he pitched the final 3 innings, allowing no hits or runs and picking up the save. This came on the heels of a complete game from Lopez in the opener, allowing just three hits and no earned runs. He also hit .333 and added 4 RBIs at the plate. To see one guy doing something like that both pitching and hitting is extremely rare, so to see two guys doing it on the same team is absolutely insane. Bowdoin obviously has an incredibly uphill battle the rest of the way, but with two talents like that, crazier things have happened.

Stock Down

Colby’s Playoff Chances

Well you had to know this one was coming. Bowdoin’s 9-1 win on Saturday over Colby not only completed their sweep of the Mules, but also stretched Colby’s losing streak to 8. Being swept by both Williams and Bowdoin has their promising 6-1 start looking like a thing of the past. They got nothing from their pitching staff except for 5 solid innings from Frank Driscoll ’21 (2 ER, 5 K) in Game 2, but the bats went quiet in a 4-3 loss. Nothing is clicking for them at all and it’s only going to get worse, with Trinity, Tufts, and Bates comprising their last 9 divisional games. This is not going to be Colby’s year.

NESCAC Scheduling

It really isn’t that big of a conference…

I’m going to be beating this dead horse again this year—until something changes. After an exciting weekend of games that have shaken up both divisions, we still don’t really know what is going on because not every team has played the same amount of games. Middlebury, Williams, Colby, and Tufts have all only played 3 while the rest of the league have played 6. This weekend Wesleyan and Bates are playing an out of division series, so they’ll stay at 6 while the other teams will move up to 9. It just doesn’t make sense to have the games staggered like this. I know there is an odd number of teams (5) in each division, but the league should consider trying to get some of these games to be played during the week more often, like they’re sort they did when Williams played Trinity on Tuesday night. I know travel and academics will always make this an imperfect process, but it’s just unfair that some teams have more clarity on where they are in the standings than others. At the very least, find a way to make sure every team plays their final divisional series as close to the same weekend as possible. Or just get rid of the divisions in general. Actually, you know what? Just do that.

Editor’s Note: The Centennial Conference in Pennsylvania actually has a terrific model for division-less conference play. All non-conference games are at the start of the year and once conference play begins everyone stops playing non-conference games. Everyone plays everyone in the conference twice – Tuesday and Thursday against the same team and then a Saturday doubleheader against a different team. Four games every week means pitching depth will be even more important and we would likely see more runs scored. If the NESCAC is worried about travel schedules then set it up so that the Tuesday/Thursday games are against teams who were previously in the same division (i.e. they’ll be geographically closer) and the weekend doubleheaders are when you can cross over. I don’t think it takes a genius to come up with a better system than the one currently in place.

Who’s the Real Deal?: Weekend Preview 4/5

Weekend Preview April 5th

Williams (12-1, 0-0 NESCAC) vs Amherst (9-2, 1-2)

Friday @ Amherst

Saturday Doubleheader @ Williams

After losing a close series to Wesleyan last weekend, Amherst will have a chance at redemption as they will open up a 3 game series versus in-state rival Williams. All three games that the Mammoths played last weekend were close ones and unfortunately for them they found themselves on the wrong side of two of them. Dan Lombardo ’19 provided a quality start for Amherst in the final game of the series and Jake Alonzo ’20 came in and pitched a scoreless 2 ⅔ innings to earn his first save of the year and salvage a NESCAC win for the Mammoths. One of the biggest surprises for Amherst this year has been the success of freshman Daniel Qin ’22. He is hitting at a .426 clip and has an OPS over 1.150. Despite his 0-2 record, Senior Andrew Ferrero ’19 is having a solid season thus far, maintaining an ERA of 2.08 while only allowing 4 walks in his 13IP. Amherst has the opportunity to make a playoff run but they will need more pieces to the puzzle than they have now. While Williams has not officially entered NESCAC play, taking 2 non-conference games from Colby last weekend, they have been nothing but impressive in their games thus far. Their 12-1 record is due, in no small part, to the explosiveness of their offense which has been on display this spring. Senior Doug Schaffer ’19 is playing out of his mind, putting up a slash line of .571/.571/.816. He is second in the conference in hits and slugging percentage, fourth in doubles and leads the league in RBI and batting average. When a guy in on a tear like that it is tough for his teammates to not want to get in on the fun. Sophomore Erik Pappas ’21 has also been impressive, scoring 23 runs and batting .468. As a team the Ephs are hitting .343 so it is safe to conclude that hitting is in fact infectious. Although the team era for Williams is not as impressive as their average, it does not matter so much when your opponent ERA is above 8.5.

Prediction: Williams takes 2 out of 3

Hamilton (8-8, 1-2 NESCAC) @ Wesleyan (8-9, 2-1 NESCAC)

All @ Wesleyan

Ethan Wallis has been off to a very hot start for the Continentals

Hamilton will return from their sunny spring break in Florida to face off against Wesleyan in their second NESCAC contest of the year. In their previous contest the Continentals were able to take one game out of three from Middlebury. This was in large part to Gavin Schafer-Hood ’21, who continued to pitch great in a complete-game one run victory. When it comes to swinging the bats Hamilton has struggled more than most. Leading the pace for the Continentals is sophomore Ethan Wallis ’21 who is posting an impressive .409 batting average. He is also the lone Continental to go yard this season. Hamilton will be looking for a chance to right the ship in what will be a difficult matchup with Wesleyan. While Wesleyan’s non-conference record seemed to be less than impressive heading into NESCAC play, it didn’t seem to matter as they were able to come in and get their first series win of the new campaign. Solid pitching is what propelled the Cardinals, only allowing 7 runs in the 3 game series. Kelvin Sosa ’21 collected the win in the first game while Dan Lombardo ’19 took game two. Offensively Wesleyan’s top performer has been Andrew Kauf ’20. Kauf is batting .426 and leads the team with 20 RBIs (10 more than second place). Wesleyan seems to be an upperclassmen heavy team who knows when to get hot. They could be very dangerous this season.

Prediction: Wesleyan takes 2 out of 3

Bowdoin (0-14-1, 0-3 NESCAC) vs Colby (6-6, 0-0 NESCAC)

Saturday doubleheader @ Colby, Sunday @ Bowdoin

The Colby College Mules enter this series with no previous NESCAC experience, although they did play Williams in two non-conference matchups. Colby had what looked to be a much improved spring break compared to last year as they are already just one win away from matching their season total last year. Lots of thanks is due to their much improved offense. Junior Will Wessman leads the team in hits, doubles, runs, RBIs and home runs. They do not seem to have two or three key starters in the rotation but rather there seem to be 7 or 8 guys who could take the mound to start the game. Perhaps this strategy will play as the spring break schedule has come to an end, but who’s to say? Their team ERA is still a little high, which will hurt them in NESCAC play. Although the transition to NESCAC play can be tough at times, Colby gets a very easy transition in the form of Bowdoin. Not much has seemed to go right for the Polar Bears this season. They are yet to win a game through 15 total contests. They are batting below .215 as a team and their team ERA is near 8. I am not really sure what their is to praise or say about this team. It has got to be tough to watch and even tougher to participate in. I would give most teams an automatic sweep, but given the rivalry and Colby’s problems in NESCAC play last season, nothing is guaranteed.

Prediction: Colby wins 2 out of 3

Trinity (14-2, 3-0 NESCAC) @ Bates (6-9, 1-2 NESCAC)

Johnny Stamatis is one of the most dangerous hitters in the NESCAC this year

The Bantams are riding high right now, entering this series maintaining an 11 game win streak. This streak includes a clean sweep of Bowdoin to start their NESCAC play. Not only are they shining in NESCAC play, but in non-conference games they have some quality wins like their win over MIT. Nearly every guy up and down the lineup is hitting over .300 and it shows in their offensive production. Their 5 states that they rotate between have all been solid as well, maintaining ERAs between 2 and 4. Trinity appears to be a well-rounded team that has the talent and capabilities to go deep into the playoffs. Bates did not fare quite as well in their first NESCAC series. Tufts was able to take the first two games but the Bobcats managed to snatch the last game, which was a close one. Bates had an underwhelming preseason which does not project to a particularly exciting or prosperous conference play. While they may have individual players such as Christian Beal ’21 or Nolan Collins ’20 who can shine on their own, as a team they don’t seem to have what it takes to make it deep this year.

Prediction: Trinity sweeps

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.

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

Pitchers Are People Too; NESCAC Probable Starters Weekend Preview

Pitchers are People Too

The hall of fame football coach, commentator, and player John Madden once said, “They’re either going to run the ball here or their going to pass it.” Even though this quote isn’t relevant to the article, I just wanted to include it to show how much we miss Madden in the booth. Madden’s best statement is the following: “Usually the team that scores the most points wins the game.” The same mentality holds true in baseball. The team that scores the most runs wins. However, winning a ballgame encapsulates so many more characteristics than just scoring runs. You hear in basketball and football that defense wins championships. The 2000 Ravens, 2016 Broncos, and those mid-2000’s Pistons’ teams are all examples of great defenses carrying teams to championships. Having a dominant starting pitcher, setup man, and closer are pertinent to championship teams. Remember Madison Bumgarner coming into game 7 mid game against the Royals in the 2014 World Series, and absolutely shutting them down? He was on short rest, but still blanked the Royals. NESCAC hitting has been most of the talk all season, but I want to focus on the guys who constantly keep their teams in games when the well runs dry in the hitting department. Here are some of my conversations with the league’s top pitchers.

Colby Morris, Middlebury College:

3-4, 1.77 ERA, 37 K’s, Roster picture evaluation: chin up, chain out, confident.

AM: How do you plan to beat Bowdoin this weekend?

CM: To be honest, I haven’t looked too much at Bowdoin yet and am focussed on mid-week games and bullpens first. As far as the game plan goes, however, I’m just going to stick to what I’ve been doing–mixing it up and locating which is kind of what I do on the mound.

AM: What’s the mentality you take to the mound when you’re not getting run support?

CM: I try not to think too much about run support when I’m pitching. Obviously if we have a big inning offensively, my focus coming back out is to pitch to contact. In a tight game though, whether we are up or down doesn’t really matter to me as I’m just trying to stop everybody from scoring to keep the score where it is.

AM: What has been your best pitch this season and why?

CM: Strike three. In general my offspeed is just sharper than it was last year and with better location I have been able to get more K’s. While I usually pitch to contact (as seen with some low K/9’s my first two years), it has been big preventing big innings with some K’s.

My conclusion: Colby’s followed up a stellar sophomore campaign with an arguably better junior year. The win loss record is due to Midd’s underachievement as a lineup; you can’t put any of that on Colby with his ERA. Midd’s in a bind with Amherst and Wesleyan dominating the west, so every series is a must win for them.

Alex Shafer, Trinity College:

4-3; 1.74 ERA (NESCAC); .197 opponent avg. (NESCAC); Roster picture evaluation: nice guy to shoot the breeze with, crazy maniac on the mound. Loose tie.

AM: How do you plan to beat Bates this weekend?

AS: The game plan is always to give the team a chance to win, by reducing or eliminating the amount of runs that Bates scores.

AM: What’s the mentality you take to the mound when you’re not getting run support?

AS: My mentality is always the same. my game is built around keeping the fielders engaged with soft contact. handing them easy ground or fly balls keeps them in the game, which in turn means they may take more focused at bats. So if i wasn’t getting run support, i just try to be as effective as possible. I try to throw the least amount of pitches in order to get my fielders their at bats.

AM: What has been your best pitch this season and why?

AS: I think my best pitch is whatever keeps the batters off balance. Some batters are excellent at waiting on off speed, but struggle against well located fastballs. Some batters try to ambush fast balls, so i work them with off speed. My favorite pitch is my changeup, and the pitch calling partnership between me and my catcher means we are rarely unprepared for a batter’s tendencies.

My conclusion: Trin is having a very impressive season (7-2 NESCAC). If they can take at least two against Bates this weekend, there’s no way they don’t make a solid run in the playoffs. Shafer’s mentality of getting ground balls in tough spots is why Trinity has been so successful. It allows Shafer’s pitch count to be low, so he can stay out there for at least two thirds to three quarters of the game.

Mike McCaffrey, Wesleyan University:

1-0 (NESCAC); 1.54 ERA (NESCAC), 12.34 K/game; Roster picture evaluation: pretty swag, officially sponsored by Nike, looks like a kid who would take your candy (see below).

AM: How do you plan to beat Amherst this weekend?

MM: Every time we play Amherst the game seems to come down to one play or one pitch, so just focusing on winning each pitch.

AM: What’s the mentality you take to the mound when you’re not getting run support?

MM: I’m going to attack hitters and control what I can control, everything else seems to take care of itself.

AM: What has been your best pitch this season and why?

MM: I don’t know if I could choose one

My conclusion: He clearly went to the same college as Bill Belichick with these answers, and I love it. McCaffrey along with Kelvin Sosa have been two dominant southpaws at the top of Wesleyan’s rotation. As I said in my season preview, this is the biggest series of the year for both teams. They will likely meet again in the playoffs. Amherst won’t give Wes any free runs, so expect close games in this series with McCaffrey leading the charge.

Gavin Schaefer-Hood, Hamilton College:

3-3, 3.81 ERA, 27 K’s, roster picture evaluation: looks like the kid McCaffrey took candy from; still a beast on the mound this year; probably got a 98 on a midterm right before this was taken.

AM: How do you plan to beat Williams this weekend?

GSH: Being a freshman I don’t know much about Williams so I’ll be relying a lot on the game plan our coaches put together for us. They definitely seem to have some talent at the plate hitting both for average and with some power so I’ll just be trying to compete and prevent any big innings.

AM: What’s the mentality you take to the mound when you’re not getting run support?

GSH: I don’t think my mentality on the mound changes at all up one run or up 10. I’m just trying to execute each pitch and rely on my defense to make plays. I know my teammates will find ways to push runs across – they did it enough against me in the fall and early spring practices – so I just try to do my part and keep guys off the bases.

AM: What has been your best pitch this season and why?

GSH: I’d love to answer this one but we still have two league teams that I’ve never seen and that have never seen me so I’d love to keep as much of an element of surprise as I can before facing them. Lets just say the knuckleball.

My conclusion: Gavin had to take a role that most freshman don’t take as a key starting pitcher for Hamilton. He has rose to the challenge. He stunned Wesleyan last weekend with only one earned run through seven innings. Wesleyan’s lineup is nothing to joke about, but he made the Cards anemic at the plate.

Brooks Parker, Colby College:

1-3; 9.00 ERA; 11 Ks; 2017 Stats: 0-6, 3.31 ERA, 40 K’s; Roster picture evaluation: This guy doesn’t hide in the bushes in Fortnite.

AM: How do you plan to beat Tufts this weekend?

BP: Tufts is a very good baseball team and it will take a strong team effort on both sides of the ball to win against them. On the offensive side, we need to put more pressure on the defense and force them to make plays. Our pitchers need to throw strikes, keep the ball down and minimize hard hit balls. We can’t afford to give up free bases by walking batters as Tufts will take advantage of those opportunities. I’m confident in our defensive ability to make the plays behind our pitchers.

AM: What’s the mentality you take to the mound when you’re not getting run support?

BP: When I’m not getting run support I try to stay focused on what I can do to help the team win. For me, my mentality is very similar whether we’re up by a lot of down by a lot. I just try to make my pitches, hit my spots and keep the game close to give us an opportunity to win the game. I know that if I do my part on the mound, the runs will eventually come. Our team has some great hitters and although we’ve been slumping in conference games this season, I’m confident that we will find a way to score runs if our pitchers and defense can keep us in the game.

AM: What has been your best pitch this season and why?

BP: I’d say my best pitch this season has been my curveball. When everything’s working, my best pitch is my changeup, but I’ve had some trouble locating that pitch this season, which is something I’ve been working on. I love going to my curveball early in the count because most batters will not swing at it unless they have 2 strikes on them. I can generally locate my curveball very well and it allows me to get ahead in the count to come back with a fastball or changeup just out of the zone to hopefully get a swing and miss or softly hit ball.

My conclusion: Colby hasn’t been good all season; the road doesn’t get any easier this weekend against Tufts. I know there have been injuries and sickness up in Waterville, but the Mules have to figure it out at this 1-5 record. It all starts with solid pitching. With Brooks’ ERA coupled with his 0 wins, it’s clear that he hasn’t gotten the run support he needs. I love his answer to question two because it’s clear that he’s mature enough to bring a positive attitude to the mound inning to inning when the Mules’ bats are silent. That’s the attitude of a winner. If Colby can take two from Tufts, they really hurt Tufts’ chances at a playoff bid. I’m sure the Mules would love that.

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

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

Amherst:

Trip Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

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

Bates:

Trip Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

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

Bowdoin:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Medium

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

Colby:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

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

Hamilton:

Spring Break Location: Florida

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

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

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

Middlebury:

Spring Break Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

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

Trinity:

Spring Break Location: South Carolina

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Medium

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

Tufts:

Spring Break Location: Virginia

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

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

Wesleyan:

Spring Break Location: Arizona

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Weak

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

Williams:

Spring Break Location: California

Strength of Schedule Assessment: Strong

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