And then there were four. NESCAC playoff baseball is here with a few surprises. Bates came out of nowhere to claim yet another playoff appearance. Tufts remained the top team in the East. Wesleyan and Amherst can no longer claim dominance in the West. Williams and Middlebury took their spots. Colby didn’t win a conference game all year. On a positive note, there’s nowhere to go but up for the Mules! NESCAC playoff baseball promises close games, great pitching, and clutch hitting. Let’s take a look at my stock report:
Long: Whatever’s going on in Lewiston, ME
Brace yourself, Bobcats fans, you’re not going to appreciate what I am about to say: Lewiston has to be the worst location of all NESCAC schools. And yes, I am writing that in my dorm room in Middletown, CT. Regardless of their location, the Bobcats have been a model of consistency for the past few years. When Coach Leonard left for Middlebury three years ago, the growth could’ve ended for Bates. Jon Martin, a former Vassar College coach, was named head coach shortly after. Vassar, a school who boasts alumni such as Meryl Streep and Phoebe from Friends (Lisa Kudrow), isn’t known for its athletics. Martin has led Bates to three consecutive playoff appearances in a division with Trinity and Tufts. Bates has always relied on their strong pitching and clutch hitting to win some ball games. The Bobcats have never been able to get over the hump. Is this their year? It certainly looks like the Bobcats have improved on the hitting side with Christian Beal ’21 and Jack Arend ’20 hitting in the high .300’s. Nolan Collins ’20 has been an absolute force yet again with a team high in innings and a 2.44 ERA. Of all the teams in the playoffs, Bates has the best matchup in game one against Williams. If the Bobcats take game one, they will be in the driver’s seat for the rest of the tournament. I am excited to see if Bates can finally get over the hump this year – it would be tough to have three straight playoff appearances coupled with three straight early exits. Arend, Beal, Collins, and co. may have the swagger to get them over the top, though. It will be fun to watch.
Short: Amherst and Wesleyan
If you were to ask me before the season began who would represent the West in the playoffs, I would say Wesleyan and Amherst. Wes made the playoffs a year ago, and their only real impact player who graduated was Matt Jeye. I would’ve expected Mike McCaffrey ’19 and Kelvin Sosa ’21 to have dominant seasons again. McCaffrey only appeared in three conference games, which was a dramatic decrease from last year. Wesleyan didn’t seem to have the same clutch factor they did a year ago. Alex Cappitelli ’20 had an off year for his high standards, and the weakness in the lineup game from middle to bottom. Clutch hitting was a real issue for the Cardinals. Amherst was fresh off a NESCAC championship the year before. One could speculate that a fall was possible for Amherst. The losses of Coach Hamm, Harry Roberson, and Max Steinhorn proved to be too much to overcome. Amherst has always been a very resilient bunch, so I was surprised they couldn’t get a playoff bid in a so-so conference. Middlebury taking a playoff spot wasn’t all that surprising to me. I truly believe getting swept by Wes to start the 2018 season just crushed the Panthers the rest of the way. It was a sophomore slump for Midd. The likes of Colby Morris ’19 and Justin Han ’20 drove the Panthers this year to a playoff appearance. Amherst and Wesleyan are the usual suspects representing the West based on previous years, so I am quite shocked that neither of them made it in this year. I am curious to see how they bounce back next year especially with Wesleyan graduating many key players.
Biggest Series: Home vs. Middlebury, April 19th-20th
Realistically, this division is 3 teams—Amherst, Wesleyan, and Middlebury—competing for 2 playoff spots. Amherst should have the talent and experience to handle Williams and Hamilton relatively easily (I like that Amherst gets Williams early in the year before a young Ephs team gets to figure it all out), and whoever comes out on top in their series vs. Wesleyan, it won’t be a sweep. If Amherst can win this series vs. Midd, either 2-1 or 3-0, they should be a lock for the postseason.
Everything Else
Despite being the reigning NESCAC champions, the Mammoths unfortunately have more questions than answers coming into this season. Losing three all-league players and the ace of your rotation will always bring some uncertainty, Amherst had to conduct a coaching search as well this summer. J.P Pyne takes over the program from Clark University after previous HC of nine years Brian Hamm departed for the same position at Eastern Connecticut State. While players undoubtedly win games, it will be interesting to see what kind of effect is felt with a first-year head coach. Joseph Palmo ’21 has already begun to fill the void that first team all-leaguer Ariel Kenney left behind in the outfield, garnering the most recent NESCAC Player of the Week award. If 3B Nick Nardone ’20 and C Seve Simeone ’20 can do the same for Harry Roberson and Max Steinhorn in the infield, Amherst will have a chance to repeat as champions.
Wesleyan University Cardinals
Head Coach: Mark Woodworth, 18th Season
Projected NESCAC Record: 8-4
Key Losses:
OF Matt Jeye (.347, 1 HR, 36 RBI)
Key Returners:
OF Alex Cappitelli ’20 (.367, 2 HR, 34 RBI)
OF Danny Rose ‘20 (.361, 17 XBH, 24 RBI)
LHP Kelvin Sosa ’21 (46.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 9.5 K/9)
LHP Mike McCaffrey (53.0 IP, 5.60 ERA, 9.7 K/9)
Biggest Series: Away @ Amherst, March 29th-30th
While I think Wesleyan is the best team in this division on paper, that isn’t where the games are played. McCaffrey and Sosa’s pitching performances (see below) in the opening series against a Little Three rival will tell Cardinal fans just how much confidence they can have in this team. While it is obviously a matchup between the top teams in the division and has playoff ramifications, it is more so just a great opportunity to see if the talent in Middletown will come to play this year.
Everything Else
Kelvin Sosa needs to improve in order to give the Cardinals a chance this year
Wesleyan certainly seems to be the favorite in this division this year. They return 78.4% of their innings pitched from last year’s staff, as well as some of their top guys in the field, namely junior outfielders Alex Cappitelli and Danny Rose. But this team’s season rests on the shoulders of lefties Mike McCaffrey ’19 and Kelvin Sosa ’21. McCaffrey never came close to finding his form last year, someone who many thought had a chance to be the Pitcher of the Year in the NESCAC. The reason for that is because we have all seen McCaffrey has the stuff to dominate in this league, evidenced by his league leading 57 strikeouts. But he also led the league in walks, with 48. In fact, McCaffrey was joined by the aforementioned Kelvin Sosa (4th-26) near the top of the walks leaderboard. If their top pitchers can throw strikes, they’ll win the division going away. But if their early season results are any indicator (55 Ks to 51 BB), it’s going to be a grind.
Middlebury College Panthers
Head Coach: Mike Leonard, 3rd Season
Projected NESCAC Record: 6-6
Key Losses:
P Robert Erickson (48.2 IP, 3-3, 3.51 ERA)
Key Returners:
RHP Colby Morris ’19 (64.1 IP, 5-4, 1.68 ERA)
IF Justin Han ’20 (.369 AVG, .528 OBP, 22 SB)
IF Brooks Carroll ’20 (.963 FP, 7 2B, 17 RBI)
IF Hayden Smith ’20 (.364, 36 H, 22 RBI)
Biggest Series: Away @ Williams, April 12th-13th
Anyone who has played in this league or followed it, in any sport, knows the importance of winning games against teams you’re better than. The regular season is always decided by the top teams matching up against each other, but you cannot handicap yourself by losing to lesser opponents. Middlebury closes the season with series’ at Amherst and home to Wesleyan, but they cannot come into those games at 3-3 or probably even 4-2. They need to win this series against Williams, and probably win it handily.
Everything Else
The Panthers took another step towards becoming a NESCAC contender, coming just short in a last gasp run at the NESCAC playoffs. They return the reigning Pitcher of Year in righty Colby Morris ’19, and a stacked infield. In order to take the next step up they need to find a way to score some runs, namely in the power department. They were 4th in the league in runs last season but only 7th with just 9 home runs. They are clearly great at hitting for contact and hitting for average, but they need some more star power if they are to steal a few games when the bats go cold or when they run into a good pitcher.
Not only because it’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of collegiate athletics, but this series will be huge for the Ephs as it is their opener in divisional play. I think this is going to be a year of ups and downs for Williams, a young and unproven team riding the momentum of a long season. If they get smoked in three games, they might not recover the rest of the way, but if they are competitive in every game and even manage to take 1 or 2 off of their archrivals, it could boost their confidence for the rest of the season.
Everything Else
2018 was nothing but bad luck for the Ephs. Star pitcher Johnny Lamont ’20 missed his entire sophomore campaign, decimating an already bare cabinet of arms in Williamstown. Freshman IF Erik Pappas had been a bright spot in the lineup, hitting .415 before going down with a season ending injury after 15 games. There is certainly talent on this roster, however. IF Kellen Hatheway ’19 didn’t have the junior season he was hoping to after terrific freshman and sophomore years, but absolutely has First-Team potential. This team is probably still a year or two away, but if they can stay healthy this year, there should be some bright spots and building blocks.
Hamilton College Continentals
Head Coach: Tim Byrnes, 12th Season
Projected NESCAC Record: 2-10
Key Losses:
None
Key Returners:
IF Matt Zaffino ’21 (.359, 3 HR, 22 RBI)
IF Jarrett Lee ’21 (.305, 29 H, 13 RBI
Biggest Series: Home vs. Williams, April 26th-27th
Matt Zaffino is looking to make the jump to “star” status in his second season
Hamilton plays Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Amherst in that order before their divisional finale vs. Williams. Quite frankly, 2 or more wins out of those 9 would be a win for the Continentals. Their performance against their next most equal division opponent in Williams to close out the season will, rightly or wrongly, determine how Hamilton should feel about their season.
Everything Else
Hamilton are in a peculiar spot this season. They went 4-8 at the bottom of the NESCAC West but they return just about everyone. However, you’ll notice there are only two names listed as “key” returners. They return everyone, but those returners were not amongst the league’s top producers, save for Rookie of the Year Matt Zaffino, who has Player of the Year talent. This might be a good team this year, but they have Amherst, Wesleyan, and Middlebury on their schedule. Their record is going to reflect that.
While the baseball season might be over, the awards season is just beginning. Not to be too self promoting here, but our awards are certainly less biased than the real NESCAC awards and should be taken more seriously. As it goes with the MLB awards, they are based on regular season results, not the postseason, and categorized based on league. Here’s to the best ballplayers in the ‘CAC…
West Player of the Year:
Ariel Kenney had a stand out season to finish off a great career.
OF Ariel Kenney ‘18 (Amherst) Chula Vista, CA: Kenney put a monster season this year en route to Amherst clinching of the #1 seed in the NESCAC West. Coming in at 3rd in the conference with his .383 AVG and 5th with his 4 big flys, Kenney was the heart of an Amherst offense that put up the 2nd most runs in the league. A few of Kenney’s impressive performances this season include a game versus Eastern Connecticut St. in which he went 4-5 with a homerun and a 2-2 stint with 3 RBI and a walk against Williams. Kenney’s 16 extra-base hits were third in the conference, helping boosting him to a .600 SLG%. Amherst will look to ride their MVP all the way to a NESCAC ‘ship, starting with Bates in NESCAC playoffs this weekend.
East Player of the Year AND Combat Silver Slugger POY:
Stony Brook transfer, Malcolm Nachmanoff, had by far the best season of any NESCAC player.
OF Malcolm Nachmanoff ‘18 (Tufts) Boston, MA: Another year, another Jumbo winning Player of the Year. That being said, there is absolutely no doubt that Nachmanoff deserves to take home the hardware after an incredible, breakout Senior spring. Nachmanoff lead the conference in Batting Average (.432), Homeruns (7), Slugging (.775), Doubles (15), Total Bases (86) and Extra-Base Hits (23). He was the NESCAC leader in 6 categories which is nothing less than absolute dominance. Nachmanoff transferred to Tufts after his sophomore season at D1 Stony Brook and proceeded to have a fairly rough Junior year for the Jumbos in which he only hit .182. He was able to find that D1 talent this season and prove that he is not just one, but several steps above the rest of the competition. Nachmanoff’s next challenge is to lead the Jumbos to his second ‘ship in 2 years and their first challenge will be the Wesleyan Cardinals.
West Cy Young:
P Colby Morris ‘19 (Middlebury) Ross, CA: Yes folks, the time has come. NBN is going to give our editor the credit he deserves. As much as we all love to make fun of Colby, his numbers are far too good to ignore. Morris was absolutely lights out all year long, leading the conference in Complete Games (4), Wins (5), Innings (63 ⅓) and Strikeouts (52). Along with all those feats, Morris was second in the conference with a jaw-dropping 1.71 ERA. Though, what made Morris’ effort so special this season is the way that he turned it on during conference play. In-conference he was 3-1, including 3 complete games, with 23 Ks and an ERA of 0.93. Despite the fact that Midd will be missing out on the playoffs this year after a tough series loss against Amherst, Morris did absolutely everything in his power to give them the opportunity to get there. Midd’s youthful core this season and Morris’ dominance should translate to a very exciting 2019 in Vermont.
East Cy Young:
RJ Hall has been there and done that in his three years at Tufts and is a tough matchup for any team in the playoffs.
P R.J. Hall ‘19 (Tufts) Marietta, GA: The East Cy Young was a particularly difficult award to pick because there were many good candidates, and almost all of them play for Tufts. Hall takes the cake because he proved himself to be the Jumbo’s most relied upon arm and ace throughout the season. Hall has a solid 5-2 record on the year, contributing immensely to Tufts’ 1st place finish in the East. His 47 strikeouts were far and away the most of anyone on the Jumbo’s staff and was 4th in the NESCAC. Hall notched 3 key conference wins over all 3 Maine schools (Colby, Bowdoin and Bates), including a complete game shutout against Bowdoin. Hall is the face of a three-headed monster for Tufts which will look to continue their success all the way to a three-peat of the NESCAC championship this weekend.
Reliever of the Year:
P Jake Shapiro ‘18 (Bates) Sandy, UT: It seemed as if every time Shapiro entered the game for the Bobcats, it was over. In his 14 appearances this season Shapiro maintained a .98 ERA and amassed 6 saves which were 2nd best in the ‘CAC. 5 of Shapiro’s 6 saves came in conference games, tied for the most of any pitcher this season. The reason behind Shapiro’s success was his ability to put hitters away via the strikeout. Shapiro has been punching out batters left and right and it shows in his 12.27 K/9. #2 Bates will face #1 Amherst this Friday in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs and you can be sure that if they have a lead Shapiro will be there man to finish it off.
Breakout Player of the Year:
P Spencer Langdon ‘20 (Tufts) Westlake, TX: After not seeing a single inning of work his Freshman year, Tufts hurler Spencer Langdon broke onto the scene in the NESCAC this year. He lead the NESCAC in ERA with a staggering 1.66 and holds a perfect 4-0 record heading into the playoffs. The majority of Langdon’s success came in NESCAC play in which he went 3-0 and had an even better ERA of 1.35. The Jumbos managed to win every single game that Langdon started this season, helping them to another first place finish in the NESCAC East. Tufts gave Langdon his first career start in their opening series against Trinity, after his impressive preseason relief stints, and never looked back. Langdon cemented his place as the best #3 starter in the conference this season and certainly as a candidate for POY. Tufts will use their hidden gem this weekend in NESCAC playoffs where Langdon will look to go 2/2 on NESCAC ‘ships.
Rookie of the Year:
P Kelvin Sosa ‘21 (Wesleyan) Bronx, NY: Amongst a 2021 class that was full of talent, Sosa proved to be the best. Earning himself the 2-spot in the rotation in just his first season, Sosa took full advantage of the opportunity he was given. His 2.54 ERA was the 5th best in the NESCAC and his 49 Ks were 3rd best. Some of his highlights this season include 6 ⅔ scoreless innings against Midd where he racked up 11 Ks and a 9 inning, complete game shutout against Williams that notched him 7 Ks. Sosa was a key piece in Wesleyan’s playoff run and will be getting his first taste of NESCAC playoffs this year. While Wesleyan’s next test is #1 seed in the East, Tufts, it is almost certain that Sosa will get the ball in game 2 of the playoffs.
2018 NESCAC 1st Team (Does not include award winners above)
C Chase Pratt ‘20 (Wesleyan) Rye, NY
IF Matt Koperniak ‘20 (Trinity) Adams, MA
IF Max Steinhorn ‘18 (Amherst) Washington, DC
IF Tommy O’Hara ‘18 (Tufts) Glenview, IL
IF Matt Zaffino ‘21 (Hamilton) New Canaan, CT
IF Justin Han ‘20 (Middlebury) Vienna, VA
OF Matt Treveloni ‘18 (Colby) Ashland, MA
OF Alex Capitelli ‘20 (Wesleyan) North Caldwell, NJ
With only a few weeks left in the spring semester, NESCAC weekends are even more critical to a team’s playoff aspiration. The leading teams coming out of the west are the usual candidates: Amherst and Wesleyan. The teams coming out of the east right now, in a somewhat shocking manner, are Bates and Tufts. The three seeds in each division are poised to become two seeds if they play strong these next few weekends. In this weekend edition, I will preview the most important matchups this weekend, and how the outcome will affect the entire league.
The East: Tufts University @ Bates College:
This series will be exciting for a number of reasons. Firstly, both teams were underachieving midway through the season. Once sitting at 3-3, the Bos’ have become hot quickly. As last season’s champs and perennial contender, it wasn’t hard to predict that Tufts’ wasn’t going to receive the stellar starting pitching that it had the year before. I could never predict 3-3, though. You have to understand that Coach John Casey’s Tufts will never be in the bottom of the league. Whether it be the way they recruit, practice, or the tradition that Tufts Baseball has under Casey, the ‘Bos will simply never be bad.
Can Coach John Casey really push Tufts to victory every season? You bet he can.
Bates, on the other hand, under the regime of Jon Martin, has exceeded expectations. Even though some attribute Bates’ playoff appearance last year to luck, the Bobcats still played in the tournament while every non-tournament team was golfing. Bates simply wasn’t good earlier in the year—especially at the plate. Personally, I ripped on and even written off Bates earlier in the year. This weekend is crucial for Bates to establish themselves as a perennial contender. If Bates takes at least two on its home field against Tufts, I will consider them a legitimate team. Hitting is still a problem, though. Starting outfielder Will Sylvia is only hitting .227. Bates’ pitching right now is one of the best in the league, so if the hitters throughout the lineup can figure it out at the plate, Bates could be considered a favorite in the tournament. The .247 average really isn’t helping the Bobcats.
Tufts’ bats exploded against Colby last weekend—putting up run totals in the teens and twenties. Even though Colby is no Amherst, the Mules are still a NESCAC team. The demolition that Tufts put on Colby is truly remarkable. Tufts is either first or second in all major hitting statistical categories; they can definitely mash. Like it always is, Tommy O’Hara, Nick Falkson and Malcolm Nachmanoff are leading the charge with 17 combined dingers and an average just below .400 for O’Hara and above .400 for Nachmanoff. Pitchers are scared to face these guys, and I don’t blame them. With a swing of the bat, they can turn the game around.
This is a series that I doubt anyone predicted would be one of the most critical of the season; dominant hitting against dominant pitching is fun to watch. Normally pitching wins at the highest level, but that could be underestimating how well Tufts swings the bat. Regardless, it’s going to be a fun series.
Prediction: Tufts wins the series two games to one.
The West: Wesleyan University vs. Williams College:
Mike Stamas ’20 made his first pitching start last weekend, showing that he is a versatile diamond in the rough for the Ephs.
Here’s a hot take: Williams isn’t bad. They’re good. How good? We’ll see this weekend against Wesleyan. Wesleyan is coming into this series with a 2-4 conference record these past two weekends. It hurts me to say this: I definitely overvalued Wesleyan after its dominant sweep of Middlebury. I completely overlooked the lack of real relief pitching. Yes, Sosa, McCaffery, and sometimes Olmstead will put together a quality start, but who do you really trust with the ball in their hand in the eighth or ninth on the road with men on base? I definitely trust Pat Clare, but Dan Lombardo has been inconsistent in giving up extra base hits. Jake Alonzo and Ryan Earle are quality right handers as well, but if you want to get a lefty-lefty matchup against a big power guy, who do you go to? Doug Hartshorn can provide a good matchup with offspeed and other secondary pitches, although he spiked a ball during game one against Amherst last weekend that got past C Chase Pratt, which led to a critical Amherst run. Even though I love what smaller southpaws like Hartshorn bring to the table with late movements on fastballs, loopier breaking balls, and changeups that are incredibly hard to sit back on and read, pitchers have to throw strikes at the end of the day. Coming back from that long tangent, I’ve realized that the reason I overvalued Wesleyan is because of the bats against Midd. When the bats were hot– that means Cappitelli through Walek were stringing together quality at bats, the relievers faced no pressure. When you know what hit the fan at Hamilton, I first saw Wesleyan’s relatively weak bullpen. It’s inevitable that a lineup will ebb and flow. For Wes to be successful with its thin pen, everyone has to hit.
Williams supringly isn’t as bad as I thought they were going to be. Sitting at 4-5 in conference play, if they take two against Wes, the Ephs have a serious shot at making the playoffs. 4-5 really isn’t a bad record. People forget that last year’s breakout star Johnny Lamont is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Similar to Bates, it seems that Williams’ achilles heel is its lack of production at the plate. Kellen Hatheway, the guy who’s getting the most AB’s, is barely hitting is weight (full disclosure, I don’t know his true weight. He’s hitting .209, so I assume he’s between 180-220). The pitching doesn’t seem stellar either. No pitcher is below a 3.50 ERA with a minimum of one innings pitch. What picture do these numbers paint? Williams is average at best numbers wise? How’d they win four elusive league games so far? They haven’t been swept yet. The Ephs have won some close games against quality teams. They took one against Amherst, one against Midd, and one against Bates (non-league), and two against Hamilton. They’ve beaten some quality teams, which makes me think that they have clutch at bats and get outs when they need them.
With all this said, I’m not saying Wes is a bad ball club or that Williams will win it all. Wesleyan at the end of the day will win ball games. Remember Dennett’s clutch hit against Tufts’ in 2014 to score Cimino and Yin to jump ahead against Tufts. That was when Wes won its first ever NESCAC title. Guys like Jeye, Andrews, Coppola, Ferrara, and Howard remember that bus ride back to Middletown with the feeling that they accomplished something no Wes baseball player ever did. The pride of stepping off the bus outside of Freeman Athletic Center knowing that you wore that W on your chest, represented the school, and won is a feeling that is indescribable. These guys know how to win under pressure, but let’s see if the rest of the squad can do it. Williams be up to the challenge if Wes can’t come through in the clutch. This is a little three game, so I know it’ll be a great series.
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.
Trinity’s starting pitching carried them to a series win over Tufts and should lead them to the playoffs.
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.
Editor’s Note: As the new editor of NBN, I will try to be much less biased than Pete (sorry, Panther fans, and you’re welcome, Amherst fans). This not only pertains to my own articles, which will be on hiatus during baseball season, but also all of NBN’s articles. And I’ll start this era of free speech with Andrew’s well written and well researched season preview which doesn’t exactly provide such a great outlook for my Panthers.
Don’t let the blizzard fool you, northerners. Spring is coming. Barbeques, darties with friends, ‘studying’ outside, and a nice seventy-five degrees. And the men of NESCAC baseball will be trotting out to their respective positions; catchers will shake blue’s hand; pitchers will kick around the dirt around the mound to their liking; outfielders will play catch with each other before the catcher throws down to second. The batter will nod to the umpire, and the catcher will lay down a finger. The pitcher will nod, take a large inhale, and deliver a pitch. Indeed, baseball is here. The NESCAC is a competitive as ever. The East division has been dominated by Tufts for some time, but the West always seems to have new representatives in the playoffs each year. Here is a preview of NESCAC west baseball:
The Amherst vs Wesleyan baseball rivalry is as storied as they come in the annals of history. The 2015 NESCAC championship game may still haunt some current Amherst players. Like Al Pacino said in “Any Given Sunday,” “Life is a game of inches.” Marco Barrata’s diving catch to keep the game tied, Andrew Yin’s hit and run RBI double to tie the game, and Guy Davidson’s nuke down the left field line to seal it all were key plays that came down to inches. Amherst was so close to another NESCAC championship then, but the team just couldn’t defeat the Cards. Nevertheless, 2015 is a long time ago, but the rivalry is still there. Both teams will be above .500 for sure in conference play. Each game of the three game series is crucial. One loss could be devastating to one team’s playoff hopes. If you love a good rivalry and close games, definitely tune into this series.
Everything Else:
I had a chance to ask a few questions to senior and Belmont Hill grad, Harry Roberson:
AM: What are your goals for yourself and the team this season?
HR: Our goal every year starting out is to be the best version of our team that we can be. Ultimately, we want to win a NESCAC championship. I know that’s something that as a senior class we haven’t accomplished yet so that is definitely an overarching goal for our team this season. May is a couple months away though so day-to-day we’re just looking to improve and build upon each practice. We’re excited to go down to Florida and see how we stack up against other teams.
AM: Which teams will be the toughest to knock off?
HR: Our entire side of the NESCAC is pretty strong. Obviously Wesleyan is always a tough series, we have a great rivalry with them that’s a ton of fun to compete in. Amherst-Williams is one of the oldest rivalries in sports so that series means a lot as well. Middlebury kind of came out of nowhere last year so that will be a great challenge for us too. Coach Leonard has done a great job with that program. And then Hamilton is a dangerous team too so there’s no time for let downs on the West side so we’re really looking forward to the opportunity to get out there and play against these guys.
AM: In one word, describe the team.
HR: Family
Amherst will always put an incredibly competitive product on the field year in and year out. However, losing a big bat like Yanni Thanopoulos hurts. He was one of Amherst’s go to guys during his entire career. Look for a guy like Severino Tocci to play a bigger role. He transitioned to catching last year, and actually started. He’s got a powerful bat from the right-handed batter’s box. I can see him being Amherst’s x-factor on the offensive end. I’m predicting that Amherst will make the playoffs again because they’re such a well-coached team. With the leadership and talent that Roberson has, and the development of younger players, I can see Amherst being a force to be reckoned with deep in the NESCAC tournament once again.
Wesleyan:
Head Coach: Mark Woodworth (17th season)
Projected NESCAC record: 9-3
Key losses:
IF Ellis Schaefer (.289 avg, 14 RBI)
IF Will O’Sullivan (.328 avg, 24 RBI)
P Asher Young (2-2, 5.33 ERA)
P Dylan Millehouse (0-1, 6.10 ERA)
C/P Nick Miceli (.237 avg, 18 RBI, 2-2, 3.55 ERA)
P Ethan Rode (3-4, 4.78 ERA)
Returning starters:
IF Jake Alonzo (.091 avg, 4 RBI)
IF Johnny Corning (.258 avg, 4 RBI)
IF/OF AJ Ferrara (.229 avg, 6 RBI)
IF/P Alec Olmstead (.245 avg, 3 RBI)
OF Matt Jeye (.285 avg, 29 RBI)
Biggest series: Middlebury (April 7th-8th):
Wesleyan will have a great season if the Cards can get past Midd with at least two wins. The Cards’ other biggest series is against Amherst later in April, but it’s crucial for Wesleyan to get off to a hot start. Midd came out of nowhere last year to win the west. Wesleyan can run the table in the west this season if the squad has a winning record against Midd. That’s tough to ask, but it’s possible.
Everything else:
I spoke with senior captain Matt Jeye who was a member of the 2015 NESCAC championship team and was named to the DIII players to watch list:
AM: Obviously you played on some great teams in your underclassmen years. How does this team compare to those championship teams?
MJ: This team is gritty. We don’t have any preseason All-Americans, but we’re a tough group who put in a lot of hours focusing on the little things. This is the most dedicated group I’ve ever been around and I’m excited to see how much our younger guys grew in a year.
AM: What are some of the strengths of this year’s team? Do you think any younger guys will have a serious impact?
MJ: I think one major strength is our communication. This is one of the closest teams I’ve ever been a part of and I think that shows when you see us out on the field picking each other up and talking throughout every pitch. I’d personally run into Tilted Towers (Fortnite reference) with nothing but impulse grenades to save any one of them.
We have a lot of younger guys this year that got to play a lot last year so we are counting on them a lot. We have a good mix of experience and new faces and I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.
AM: Are there any teams that you’re especially looking forward to playing?
MJ: I’m always looking forward to playing purple, whether it be Amherst or Williams. It’s a different atmosphere against those guys. Everyone wants to get ahead and then rub it in so emotions are always high.
First off, Matt’s Fortnite reference makes me want to run through a brick wall for this squad. Wesleyan has been in transition ever since that 2015 season, in my opinion. To lose guys like Guy Davidson, Andrew Yin, Nick Cooney, Jonathan Dennett, Sam Goodwin-Boyd, Gavin Pittore, Donnie Cimino, and Marco Barrata all within a year can devastate a team. However, that’s college sports; there’s turnover. The fact that Wesleyan wasn’t sub .500 these past two years is something to be proud of because they’re such a young team. Now it comes down to pitching. There are a lot of young wings, but I’m not entirely sure that they’ll be able to go the full season without getting shelled a few times. The lineup may not be as scary as 2015’s, but it needs to provide run support for these pitchers. Rest assured, I don’t think Wes will have much trouble scoring runs.
Middlebury:
Coach: Mike Leonard (second season)
Projected Record: 7-5
Key losses:
C Ryan Rizzo (.301 avg, 11 RBI)
IF Jason Lock (.354 avg, 31 RBI)
Returning starters:
MIF Brooks Carroll (.274 avg, 16 RBI)
MIF Justin Han (.319 avg, 20 RBI)
OF Sam Graf (.323 avg, 30 RBI)
IF Andrew Hennings (.393 avg, 9 RBI)
IF Kevin Woodring (.281 avg, 13 RBI)
OF Alan Guild (.288 avg, 12 RBI)
Biggest series: Wesleyan (April 7th-8th):
I’m projecting Middlebury to have a sophomore slump of sorts. Coach Mike Leonard, in his first season with the Panthers last year, fostered a fairytale journey for his team. The NESCAC west had been so competitive in previous years that Midd always seemed to be left out of the conversation with the likes of Amherst and Williams. Leonard and the young squad showed everyone how dangerous the Panthers are. On paper, Middlebury could go 10-2 or 11-1 if the frosh from last year keep swinging the stick. However, I can’t see 1-9 all having great years at the plate like they did last year. Wesleyan is a big series. Midd’s first test is their first road NESCAC series in enemy territory. Both teams will put up runs, but if Middlebury can sweep or win two, then I think they can really win the NESCAC crown.
Justin Han ’20 is one of many Midd hitters that will need to prove that they can replicate last year’s performance.
Everything else:
I corresponded with pitcher (and colleague) Colby Morris. He was a stud last year on the bump, and I’m interested to see if he can still keep hitters off balance this year:
AM: How does this team compare to last year’s team? In what ways have you guys improved/regressed? What are some of the strengths of this year’s team? Do you think any younger guys will have a serious impact early on? Are there any teams that you’re especially looking forward to playing?
CM: The biggest similarity to last year is in our starting lineup, returning six of eight position players. We also have a similar team chemistry, which was electric last season and probably pissed off every opponent. We are a power centered offensive team with the same rotation as last year, but a deeper bullpen. It definitely hurt to lose Ryan Rizzo and Jason Lock, but that just means some of us upperclassmen need to step up in their place. We have a stronger bullpen with a lot of good young arms, and should compete better in mid-week games because of that. Our strengths would be offensive and defensive depth as we have so many lineups we can roll out to put a competitive team on the field. I think that Henry Strmecki will have a big impact either in RF or in CF and should be a powerful leadoff hitter, and the same goes with some of our frosh pitchers, although not exactly sure yet which ones will make the biggest contributions. I’m definitely locking in on that Williams weekend…we got swept by them last year and want revenge.
Midd should be the most interesting team to follow this year. The Panthers almost won it all last year, but came up just short. They didn’t lose many seniors; their lineup is stacked with talented sophomores and juniors. If Colby’s right about improved relief pitching, Middlebury can take jump over that hump to be a championship team. However, they must start out strong against Williams. For if they don’t, it’s very possible that they fall into a sophomore slump.
Williams:
Coach: Bill Barrale (11th season)
Projected Record: 4-8
Key losses:
OF Jack Cloud (.375 avg, 16 RBI)
IF Jackson Parese (.255 avg, 12 RBI)
IF Nate Michalski (.216 avg, 14 RBI)
P Luke Rodino (3-1, 4.02 ERA)
P Johnny Lamont (injury) (4-1, 1.80 ERA)
Returning starters:
IF Kellen Hatheway (.362 avg, 25 RBI)
IF Jack Roberts (.368 avg, 27 RBI)
OF Adam Regensburg (.295 avg, 28 RBI)
IF Doug Schaffer (.218 avg, 13 RBI)
C Adam Dulsky (.262, 9 RBI)
Key Series: vs. Amherst (4/6-4/7)
Amherst vs. Williams is one of the most historic rivalries in sports. A Wesleyan student myself, I love to say that all three schools are in the Little Three, but I have to admit, Amherst vs Williams is a whole separate rivalry (that doesn’t mean that my obsession to defeat both schools doesn’t exist; it does). Williams needs to break out of mediocrity. To be quite honest, I don’t see them doing that this year. The Ephs best pitcher, Johnny Lamont, is gone for the whole season due to Tommy John. In this early series, however, if they can take all three or even two games against their arch rival Amherst, then I think Williams can gain some momentum, and possibly make the playoffs. It all starts with this series.
Everything else:
I talked to Williams pitcher and Groton School alumnus Johnny Lamont on what he thinks his squad can do without him this season:
AM: What are your goals for yourself and the team this season?
JL: Our goal is to win the NESCAC championship, and that isn’t some lofty goal we don’t expect to achieve. We felt that we underperformed last year, but a lot of the talent we had last year is back, and we’ve learned from those moments where we played ourselves out of the playoffs. I’ve pitched against our lineup in squad scrimmages and practice, and it is the best lineup I’ve faced at any level in any league. The staff is gonna do our job, get our guys back on offense, and then it gets real fun to watch.
AM: Which teams will be the toughest to knock off?
JL: We learned from last year that every team in the NESCAC deserves respect, even if we are the most talented team. We swept Midd, and then they went to the championship game. We outplayed Wesleyan, but lost that series. The only thing that we’re focused on this season is how we play, and if we play up to our potential, we’ll win the West no matter who the opponents are.
AM: In one word, describe the team.
JL: Hungry for that W. (Not sure if he understood the question).
Johnny was one of the best pitchers in the NESCAC last year; he was one of the major reasons why Williams got to six wins. As a teammate and competitor, it’s incredibly hard to sit out. You feel a sense of helplessness. However, it gives you a new perspective on your team. Instead of focusing on individual goals, guys like Johnny can use a wider lense of how the team operates. While I don’t think Williams will make much noise next year, expect Johnny and the Ephs in 2019 to be a powerhouse in the West because not only will Johnny have regained his strength that made him a freshman sensation, but he will have the mental toughness to know what it’s like to fight through an injury
Kellen Hathaway ’19 is one of the top hitters in the league and will need to lead the Ephs along with Jack Roberts ’18.
Hamilton:
Coach: Tim Byrnes (11th season)
Projected Record: 2-10
Key losses:
OF Ryan Wolfsberg (.400 avg, 23 RBI)
C Brett Mele (.284 avg, 27 RBI)
IF/P Andrew Haser (.320 avg, 20 RBI)
OF Kenny Collins (.313 avg, 12 RBI)
IF Chris Collins (.346 avg, 9 RBI)
OF Robert Morris (.282 avg, 6 RBI)
P Finlay O’Hara (3-2, 2.60 ERA)
Returning starters:
IF Dean Rosenberg (.227 avg, 8 RBI)
IF Jordan Northup (.266 avg, 9 RBI)
P Max Jones (0-4, 4.43 ERA)
Key series: Wesleyan (April 13th-14th):
Hamilton has always had trouble with Wesleyan. Last year there was a game at Wesleyan were Hamilton thoroughly outplayed the Cards. Somehow, the Cards took it to extras, and Ryan Earle hit a walkoff single. Hamilton played so well, but they got sloppy down the stretch in the field. If Hamilton wants to breakout of being in the middle of the pack in the West, they must beat the leaders like Wesleyan.
Everything else:
I asked senior Dean Rosenberg a few questions about the team and the season:
AM: What are your goals for yourself and the team this season?
DR: We have a super young team after losing a lot of upperclassman who were big contributors for us last year. Our goal this year is to work hard, compete every day, and improve every practice and throughout the season. Personally,
I want to continue to improve as a leader and as a ball player and enjoy my last season playing the game I love.
AM: Which teams will be the toughest to knock off?
DR: The NESCAC is an extremely competitive conference, every conference weekend is a grind. We learned last year that everybody can beat everybody, so I wouldn’t necessarily say any team is the team to beat in the West.
AM: In one word, describe the team.
DR: Together
Like Dean says, the team is very young this year. Hamilton has proved over the past few seasons that there’s no talent game between them and the other NESCAC teams. What separates the likes of Tufts, Amherst, and Wesleyan from Hamilton is winning close games down the stretch. There are only twelve conference games a year, so each one is crucial. There’s no doubt that the Conts will compete their tails off this year, but they’ve lost so many bats that I think it will be hard for them to match the output of the other West teams. They can and will compete every day, however.
Before we start these rankings, I just need to call everyone’s attention to Rory’s profile on the Tufts website.
“Listen to music” is a very original tradition! Rory is quirky like that
Pretty bold claim to call yourself the “lead writer” of a blog when you haven’t written anything since basketball season, but hey, that’s just, like, my opinion man. Anyway, there are several crucial series for playoff standing in this final weekend, so let’s see where each team stands.
Tufts
Don’t worry Jumbos fans, you’re not in danger of losing your number one spot. But it is time for us to talk about Tufts’ inability to sweep a series. Despite being pretty undisputedly the best team in the league for this entire season, in each of their league series they have dropped a game, including to weaker teams like Bowdoin and Colby. I know that seems like a champagne problem (plenty of teams in the league would kill to take two out of three in every series,) but Tufts is simply too good to be dropping games to Bowdoin. Let’s delve deeper into Tufts’ losses. Obviously, none of them have come in games started by ace starter Speros Varinos ‘17, who is 7-0. RJ Hall has two of those losses Tim Superko ‘17 has one. Both of those starters have ERA above 3.4, with Superko sitting at a pedestrian 4.23. Tufts seems to have some problems in terms of depth in the starting rotation. This will not be a problem in the regular season, but in the playoffs it might manifest itself in an ugly way.
Bates
Bates’ Cinderella carriage hit a classic New England pothole last weekend against Trinity, as the Bobcats dropped two out three games. One of the reasons that Bates’ 7 game league winning streak was remarkable is that they were doing it in spite of a relatively impotent offense. Bates only hits .246 for the season, and in league play that number drops to .234. Obviously, Bates’s pitching has been making up for lack of offense so far this year. Bates’ ERA in league play is 2.25, which is nearly a full run better than Tufts (a distant second at 3.21.) Connor Speed ‘18 is the ace of the staff, with a 2.52 ERA in 35 innings. But his 1-3 record reveals the problem that Bates saw exposed against Trinity. If the pitching falters for even a moment, the offense cannot back them up. They have a three game series against Tufts coming up this weekend– that’s a must watch, by the way– and then a four game series against WIlliams. These are two of the best offenses in the league, and if they can get to the Bates staff, Bates could close the league season in the opposite way from how they started.
Middlebury
At the three and four spots we have two teams who have been steadily climbing in the standings over the last couple weeks in the Panthers and the (newly minted) Mammoths. Middlebury gets the edge because they took two of three from Amherst earlier this season. This has been a magical season for the Panthers, a program that was in desperate need of some energy. In fact Middlebury (who has clinched a playoff berth and is one Amherst loss this weekend away from the number one overall seed in the West) is the hottest team in either conference as they are riding a seven game winning streak in league play. Offensively, Middlebury relies heaviily on the senior duo of Ryan Rizzo ‘17 and Jason Lock ‘17. With a .375 OBP and 14 steals, Rizzo is a classic leadoff hitter, and Lock is adept at knocking him in (27 RBI on the year.) Sophomore Sam Graf ‘19 and Justin Han ‘20 have also put up terrific offensive seasons and keep the future bright for the Panthers.
Amherst
Harry Roberson ’18 is an anchor in the infield for the Mammoths (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)
Amherst might be the next hottest team in the league. They have won four in a row overall and 5 of their last six in league play. Like Middlebury, Amherst is a potent offense. They have six players with on base percentages over .400, and with league RBI leader Yanni Thanopoulos ‘17 in the middle of the order, that is a dangerous proposition for opponents. But Amherst’s hot streak has been primarily due to the improvement of their pitching. They have a bonafide ace in Jackson Volle ‘17 (5-0, 1.71 ERA) but their team ERA has improved from 5.21 overall to 3.63 in league play. Amherst’s offense was always good, but now that their pitching is catching up, they are extremely dangerous.
Wesleyan
I would imagine that at the beginning of the year, Wesleyan envisioned being a little higher in these rankings than fifth. But they simply have not hit well enough to win the close games that NESCAC play often brings about. In their sweep at the hands of Middlebury last weekend, they only scored nine runs in the whole series, despite several good scoring chances. Outside of Matt Jeye ‘18, the Cardinals don’t have much in the way of power (their slugging percentage in league play is an abysmal .290.) This means that each run they give up feels like a disaster, as they will have to scratch and claw to get it back. Wesleyan has a chance this weekend to get back in the mix with a three game set against Amherst, but they’ll need a couple big hits to do so.
Williams
Williams is another team who should be somewhat disappointed to be down here at this point in the season. The Ephs have a trio of stud freshman pitchers in John Lamont ‘20, Sean Hager ‘20 and Kyle Dean ‘20 who have combined for an 8-3 record with a 2.33 ERA. They also have a possible POY in Kellen Hatheway ‘19 (.392 AVG, 1.079 OPS) and have two other excellent hitters in Jack Cloud ‘17 and Jack Roberts ‘18. And yet, here they are at 4-5 in NESCAC play, and that’s including taking three out of four from Colby last weekend. It has been their pitching that has faltered in conference play (their .303 batting average against is second worst in the league.) However, they have a three game set against Hamilton coming up. Williams should be thinking sweep there, and if they get it done, they would be at the mercy of Wesleyan sweeping Amherst to make the tournament.
Bowdoin
The Polar Bears had a pretty impressive performance against a far superior Tufts teams, grabbing a win and coming within a run of taking another. And they have a three game set against a weaker Colby team. They should be smelling sweep against the Mules, and they have the starting pitchers to do it. There may not be a player in the league who can impact a game like Brandon Lopez ‘19. Lopez is Bowdoin’s best starter at 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA, and he is also their best hitter, stroking the ball at a .342 clip with a .962 OPS. Lopez can change a game, and series on both sides of the ball. Bowdoin has two other solid starters in Max Vogel-Freedman ‘18 (2.90 ERA) and Colby Lewis ‘20 (3-2, 3.55 ERA.) If Bowdoin can somehow manage to sneak into the playoffs, this trio of starters could make them very dangerous. But they have to sweep Colby first.
Trinity
The Bantams recovered from a rough start in league play by taking two of three against East-leading Bates last weekend. They did it with pitching, holding the Bobcats (who aren’t exactly a dynamic offense, but still) to just two runs over the final two games. They have a top heavy lineup led by Alex Rodriguez ‘20 (.362 BA) and Brendan Pierce ‘18 (4 HR.) Senior Nick Dibenedetto rounds out the threats in the lineup with a .348 AVG and 24 RBI. However Trinity doesn’t get a lot of offense from the rest of their lineup, meaning that any wins they get where that trio doesn’t carry them have to be well pitched games. Against Bates, they had two of those. We will see if they get the chance in the postseason to have more.
Colby
Colby honestly just does not have the talent to win NESCAC games, but they have shown the heart to compete. Their offense lacks punch (only three home runs on the year) and their pitching has been generally horrific with a 6.23 overall ERA. However, they have grabbed two wins against superior teams (Wesleyan and Trinity,) and all three of their losses to Williams were by one run. Colby has been playing for little other than pride for some time now, and their heart as a team has shown through the losses.
Hamilton
The Continentals may be the team who has underachieved most in league play. Despite being near the top in overall offensive stats, in NESCAC games every one of their team numbers is near the bottom They have a solid pitching duo in Finlay O’Hara ‘17 and Dan DePaoli ‘18, and on paper have an excellent lineup. But they seem to have jacked up their stats a bit against a weak non-conference schedule and have been unprepared for the jump to better competition. They have a series against Williams that matters for nothing but pride. It is a good chance to honor their seniors and leave a good aftertaste in an otherwise disappointing year.
As the final weekend series approach, the races for playoff bids are tightening up. Bates and Tufts battle for the top rank in the East while Amherst and Middlebury currently sit atop the West. Wesleyan, however can get back in the running for a spot in the postseason with a series win. Some seniors will say goodbye to NESCAC play and others will continue to fight for a championship. Check out the key players to watch for in this final NESCAC regular season weekend.
Bates @ Tufts
Bates: Connor Speed ‘18
Connor Speed ’18 (Courtesy of Colby Athletics)
Speed’s record does not even come close to representing the impressive season he has put together. Bates, despite a Division leading 7-2 record, have failed to give Speed the run support he deserves, resulting in a 1-3 record for the Bobcats’ number one starter. Speed has thrown a team high 35.2 innings in 7 starts. In these appearances, he has allowed only 10 earned runs for a 2.52 ERA. He has also struck out 33 batters, which stands at 6th in the league. The junior has compiled a solid season thus far, but his biggest start of the year is this weekend against the strong Tufts team only one game behind Bates in the standings. Speed looks to reproduce his outing against Bowdoin in which he went 8 innings strong giving up only 2 earned runs. His start will be critical for the Bobcats if they want to maintain their number one seed for the postseason.
Tufts: Ian Kinney ‘18
Ian Kinney ’18 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)
The Tufts pitching staff has been highlighted by reigning Pitcher of the Year Speros Varinos ‘17, who is likely to defend his title this spring. Behind him are pitchers Tim Superko and R.J. Hall, who have also put together solid seasons. However, a major key in the Jumbos success, is reliever Ian Kinney. He has consistently come out of the bullpen whenever needed and pitched well. Tied in 5th with 12 appearances, only one behind the league lead, Kinney has solidified himself as one of the best closers in the NESCAC. In these 12 appearances, Kinney has put together 4 saves, also one behind the league lead. He has pitched 18.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 21 strikeouts giving an outstanding 10.31 K/9 ratio. In this highly competitive weekend series, Tufts will need their number one reliever to continue his success. With much on the line, look for Coach Casey to use Kinney in tough situations and to close out tight games.
Colby @ Bowdoin
Colby: Ryder Arsenault ‘17
Ryder Arsenault ’17 (Courtesy of Colby Athletics)
In a lineup that has only hit .257 as a team, the Mules are looking for any bat to get hot. Arsenault, leading the team in at bats, has the potential to be that bat. Having reached base in six consecutive games, the lineup looks toward their senior leader to continue his streak in the series against Bowdoin. While his stats so far this season don’t necessarily pop out to the naked eye, Arsenault has shown his versatility throughout the year. His 109 at bats not only lead the team, but is second in the Conference, showing his durability. Additionally, while hitting a modest .275, Arsenault also stands second in the league for Sacrifice Flies. Also, even with all his plate appearances, the center fielder has only hit into one double play. Overall, Arsenault has done a little bit of everything for this struggling Colby offense. If he can pick it up, the Mules may be able to rally around their senior and score some runs against Bowdoin.
Bowdoin: Sawyer Billings ‘18
Sawyer Billings ’18 (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)
Billings has quietly put together a solid year at the plate despite the team hitting .259. Having played in 21 of the team’s 26 games, the utility player has hit .313 in 64 at bats. From those plate appearances, he has scored 9 runs, one behind the team lead as well as team leading 8 doubles. The Polar Bears hope that Billings can replicate his performance against Trinity this upcoming series against Colby. The junior went 5-9 with 4 runs and 5 RBI’s against the Bantams, while hitting 4 of his season total of 8 doubles. These at bats contributed heavily in the Bowdoin sweep over their opponent. A similar trend occurred against Tufts; if Billings hits well, the Polar Bears come out victorious. In their two loses, he went 0-5, but in the team’s win, the utility player went 2-4 with a run scored. Bowdoin hopes that Billings has himself a big weekend as they look to win the series.
Williams @ Hamilton
Williams: Jack Cloud ‘17
Jack Cloud ’17 (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)
Kellen Hatheway has gotten all the attention after his Rookie of the Year performance last season and now his bid for NESCAC Player of the Year. However, Cloud has been nothing short of excellent all season as well. The outfielder in his final season has put together 89 at bats in the two-hole resulting in a .337 average. He has scored 25 runs, or 15% of the teams total this season. For in-conference games, his 13 runs lead the league. Cloud has also shown speed on the base paths, with team leading 7 steals and 2 triples. He has shown consistency too, as the outfielder has reached base in 20 of the 22 games he has appeared in this season, getting at least one hit in 17 of them. Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, Williams looks to win the final NESCAC series of the year. If Cloud’s success continues, they should be able to do so. In terms of extra motivation, the senior will look to put his final stamp on NESCAC play this weekend against division opponent Hamilton.
Hamilton: Finlay O’Hara ‘17
Finlay O’Hara ’17 (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)
Finlay O’Hara has put together an impressive year, proving that he and fellow starter Dan DePaoli ’18 are one of the most dominant starting duos in the NESCAC. He has eight appearances with six starts totaling 36 innings exactly on the season so far, showing his versatility as a key arm for the Hamilton staff. For instance, he made a relief appearance in game 1 against Amherst in last weekend’s series, and then made the next day. His six starts have resulted in only a 3-2 record, but his ERA is a low 2.50. Not a strikeout pitcher, O’Hara has used his defense to get him out of jams. Without any chance for a playoff bid, Hamilton will play the rest of the season for seniors such as O’Hara in this upcoming series. In his last season on the bump, the senior looks to continue his success in his final NESCAC weekend start.
Amherst @ Wesleyan
Amherst: Zach Horwitz ‘20
Zach Horwitz ’20 (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)
Amherst is currently tied for first in the tough NESCAC West Division and can claim sole position of the one-seed with a sweep of Wesleyan. However, if they are swept, the team loses any shot of a bid and eliminated from contention. And the key player for this team is a freshman. Horwitz, despite being a rookie, has stepped up this year for Amherst. The team was looking for arms after successful veteran Jackson Volle ’17 and Horwitz did just that. Having pitched 26 innings (second to Volle), Horwitz has gone 2-0 in two starts with nine total appearances. The lefty has gained the trust of Coach Hamm, who will need him in this crucial weekend. Horwitz has done more than just pitch though. Also a first baseman, he has compiled 30 at bats and including a homerun and a triple. The rookie has proven he can contribute to the team in multiple ways, all of which will be needed this weekend. Horwitz’s success can drive this Amherst team right into the postseason.
Wesleyan: Matt Jeye ‘18
Matt Jeye ’18 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)
Wesleyan’s offense has failed to live up to expectations this season. After dominating NESCAC pitchers last season and returning key bats, the Cardinals have only hit .283 this spring. However, Matt Jeye ’18 has consistently given power to the heart of the lineup. In 102 at bats so far, Jeye leads the team in both triples and homeruns. His homerun total is second among NESCAC hitters. However, what stands out most is Jeye’s ability to knock in runs. His total of 28 RBI’s is team leading by 8 and 3rd in the conference. Pitchers must be careful with Jeye at the plate as he easily has the power to get in scoring position or send home a run. The outfielder has accumulated 32 hits total which gives him an average of .314. His slugging percentage has risen to .480. Wesleyan needs to win the series this weekend to still have a chance to earn a postseason spot. To do so, the Cardinals will have to rely on Jeye’s bat to lead the offense against a tough Amherst squad.
As we reach the final third of the season, a look at the NESCAC baseball landscape reveals the fierce competition throughout the conference. No team has locked up a bid and the final few weekend series’ hold more weight than ever before. Some teams are in must win situations with others have played themselves into good positions. This iteration of the Power Rankings shows movement from eight of the ten teams after a little over a week of games and a surprising weekend.
Tufts
Despite a tough weekend for the Jumbos, Tufts still maintains its number one spot in the power rankings. A loss to 7-17 (2-7) Colby team brought this team back to reality after a scorching hot start including their run last season. However, still posting a 19-4-1 overall record and sitting in second place in the NESCAC East, Tufts has little reason to worry. Reigning NESCAC Pitcher of Year Speros Varinos ’17 is defending his title with an essentially perfect season thus far at 6-0 in 6 starts with a 1.50 ERA and league leading 46 strikeouts, 10 ahead of the next closest total. The lineup, hitting a combined .325, is led by Nick Falkson ’18, who is in the running for a title of his own – NESCAC Player of the Year. The infielder is hitting .402 and leading the league with 28 RBI’s. However, a crucial part of this lineup is filled with sophomores Casey Santos-Ocampo ’19 and Will Shackelford ’19 . Santos-Ocampo has provided clutch at bats and speed on the base paths, scoring 18 runs and knocking in 20 more. Shackelford has added a hot bat to his defensive soundness, hitting a phenomenal .434 with only 4 strikeouts in 53 at-bats. The Jumbos have a huge weekend series at home against Bowdoin, which could ultimately decide who makes the NESCAC playoffs, but as long as Tufts sticks to what they do best, they’ll be in a good spot heading forward toward the playoffs.
Bates
Bates has been the San Antonio Spurs of the NESCAC so far this spring. They have no league leaders and no standout superstar, but are a fundamentally sound team. The Bobcats get the job done, which is why they jump to number two in this week’s power rankings. Holding Conference best 6-0 record, Bates has its eyes set on the playoffs. A convincing sweep of Bowdoin, in which the staff allowed only 8 runs total,
Connor Speed ’18 has carried an excellent Bates pitching staff this season.
proved that Bates is ready to compete with the higher echelon of the conference and make some noise in the postseason. The Bobcats will rely on their pitching staff to do so. With a league leading team ERA of 3.12 (2.47 in conference), this staff has to potential to shut down any offense in the league. Only giving up slightly over 3 runs a game has allowed the team to win 11 of 16 so far despite their struggling offense. However, these numbers come with a big asterisk, as their two series sweeps have come against weaker offenses in Colby and Bowdoin. Look for Connor Speed ’18 to lead the staff as the team aims to continue their dominance on the mound. For now though, Bates has put themselves in a good position for a postseason bid.
Wesleyan
Wesleyan holds a slim .5 game lead in the West Division and are tasked with facing a hot Middlebury squad this weekend. So far this season has been not up to Wesleyan’s standards at the plate. Hitting a mediocre .291, the Cardinal bats look to heat up to their potential as the season progresses. Will O’Sullivan ’17 is starting the charge hitting an impressive .360 and team leading 8 doubles. Adding power to lineup is Junior Matt Jeye ’18 who is tied for the league lead with 3 homeruns. On the mound, the Cardinals have been consistent if anything as they have been racking up strikeouts. In conference, they strike out 7.30 batters per nine innings – nearly a strikeout an inning. Leading the bullpen is two-way player Ryan Earle ’19 who has a league leading 4 saves along with a minimal 1.06 ERA. Wesleyan hasn’t had exactly the start they were expecting but have been playing well enough to stay atop a tight division. As the Cardinal bats start hitting up to their potential, look for this team to be dangerous towards the end of the season.
Amherst
Since last power rankings, Amherst has gone 4-0 including a sweep against a tough Williams squad. This is partly in thanks to the recent success of its lineup. In his last season, Yanni Thanopoulos is in the running for NESCAC Player of the Year, hitting .400 with 26 RBI’s. Harry Roberson has also contributed power to the lineup slugging an impressive .627 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 homeruns. However, despite hitting a conference best .330, Amherst has only a .500 record at 10-10. This is due entirely to their disastrous pitching. The staff has a combined 5.82 ERA (which has improved since last week), which includes 9 homeruns and nearly 200 hits in only 173.1innings. The only bright spot is consistent starter Jackson Volle ’17 who has gone 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in team leading 24.2 innings pitched. Volle has kept this Amherst team relevant with his impressive performances and routine domination of the NESCAC bats. After him though, Amherst’s arms need to step up their game. With a dangerous lineup, this team is never out of any game, but in order to keep their current postseason bid, Amherst will need to find support from their staff.
Williams
Kellen Hatheway ’19 could follow up is ROY season with a POY trophy this year.
Williams has had a similar start to the season as Amherst. Their offense is hard to stop, with a team average of .310. Kellen Hatheway ‘19, one year removed from his NESCAC Rookie of the Year campaign now is gunning for NESCAC Player of the Year. The sophomore is hitting a conference leading .446 highlighted by 7 doubles and 3 triples. He has additionally added 7 stolen bases to his outstanding numbers. Not to be shadowed by the young star, Junior Jack Roberts ’18 has put together a solid season at the plate as well hitting .391 for the Williams squad. However, despite this strong lineup, Williams has struggled due to the inconsistency of the rotation. The 4.72 team ERA shows the difficulty Williams arms have had. The reason behind this though, could be due to Coach Barrale’s decision to ride his young arms. Standout rookie John Lamont ’20 has had a very successful start to the season, having gone 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA. Additionally, classmate Kyle Dean ’20 has proven he can compete with the best of the ‘CAC, as he has gone 17.2 innings giving up only 2 runs. Williams’s success depends heavily on its young core, but the veterans, especially in the bullpen need to perform for Williams to compete with the top of the league.
Middlebury
Middlebury’s sweep of Hamilton gave them a much-needed jump in the West Division. The Panthers in-conference and overall record perfectly reflect the games they’ve played so far. Sitting one game above and below .500, respectively, Middlebury has kept their games close, as 15 of the 19 games played have been decided by 3 or less runs. New coach Mike Leonard has relied on his senior talent in Jason Lock ’17 and Ryan Rizzo ’17, who are hitting .397 and .355 respectively. These leaders are the heart of a productive Middlebury lineup (hitting .313 as a team.) Similar to other teams in the Conference, Middlebury has found that its weakness is in the pitching staff. The Panthers have the second worst ERA in the NESCAC for both in-conference and overall play. The star in the rotation has been freshman Spencer Shores ’20 who has gone 2-0 in 28.2 innings pitched with a 2.51 ERA. It will take a strong performance for the rest of the season, but Middlebury is back in the race for one of the two playoff spots in the West Division. If the veterans in the rotation can sharpen their game, Middlebury can sneak its way into the postseason.
Bowdoin
Brandon Lopez ’18 (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)
Bowdoin is quietly riding a 5 game winning streak going into a crucial matchup against Tufts this weekend. Included in this streak is a sweep of Trinity College which brought their in-conference record to 3-3, only one game behind Tufts for the second spot in the division. The winner of this series will have control over the second bid for the playoffs. Bowdoin’s success has not come from any star power, but just clutch play and solid pitching. All three Trinity games were close, despite a lineup that is hitting is measly .270 and has scored only 83 runs in 23 games. Brandon Lopez ’19 is by far the team’s MVP thus far. He is one of the few Polar Bears who has found success at the plate, hitting .328 with team leading 10 RBI’s. Lopez also has led the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.29 ERA. Behind him is Max Vogel-Freedman ’18 who has a 2.16 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. This Bowdoin staff has brought the team into the race for a playoff bid. Their in-conference ERA sits at a meager 2.68. However, the Polar Bear arms will face their toughest test yet against the dynamic Tufts offense. Winning the series against Tufts would solidify Bowdoin’s relevancy in NESCAC baseball.
Trinity
Trinity lost a tough series to Bowdoin, which severely hurt their opportunity for a playoff bid and dropped them steeply in the power rankings. A lot must go Trinity’s way, starting with a series sweep over first place Bates this upcoming weekend. To complete this daunting task, the Bantams must hit a hot streak at the plate. After Brendan Pierce ’18, this lineup, while it certainly can hit, doesn’t have too much power in their bats. Trinity must string together hits and not leave men on base. When the offense is rolling, it is usually due to senior Nick Dibenedetto ’17. His season has satisfied the high expectations going into the year. He is hitting .366 with a .512 slugging percentage. On the bump, Erik Mohl ’19 has put together a breakout year thus far. In his 12 appearances, Mohl has a 6-1 record and a 2.62 ERA in team high 34.1 innings. After the sophomore, however, Trinity has run into issues. Coach Bryan Adamski continues his search for a solution, as 10 pitchers in the staff have 7 or more appearances. While unlikely to earn a playoff bid after losing the series to Bowdoin, Trinity has the potential to shake up the standings with the potential talent on the team.
Hamilton
Hamilton’s out-of-conference record, 11-7, varies drastically from their in-conference record, 0-5. This slow start has already dug them a deep hole in the tough West Division. The future doesn’t look too bright either as the team’s top six hitters are graduating this spring. One of them, Kenny Collins ‘17 has shown his versatility hitting .400 while also leading the league with 15 stolen bases (caught only once). Ryan Wolfsberg ’17 has also put together a strong final season, hitting .387. The pitching staff is in a much different position. After Finlay O’Hara ’17 who has a 1.50 ERA, the rest of the rotation and bullpen is returning next season. Dan DePaoli ’18 has put together a successful season behind O’Hara. However, his 2.21 ERA has resulted in a mediocre 3-3 record. Hamilton is better suited off getting young guys experience for next season, as this year’s team will likely miss out on the playoffs.
Colby
Despite stealing a game against a strong Tufts team, Colby has struggled in conference play, compiling a 2-7 record. This record, is described perfectly by the run differential in these game: -40. One of the major factors in this statistic is the inability of the Mules team to hit the ball. The team is hitting a mere .265, despite junior Matt Treveloni’s efforts at the plate, hitting .353. In order to climb out of last place, the Mules bats must heat up. On the opposite side, the Colby staff has shown some bright spots. First year player Taimu Ito ’20 has impressed with team leading 27 innings pitched and a 3.33 ERA. Additionally, John Baron ’18 has relied on his curveball to pitch 14.2 innings with a 1.84 ERA. However, the relative success of the Mules’ bullpen hasn’t been enough to make up for an inefficient offense. A four game series against Williams is approaching and Colby will look to get out of last in the East with a series win.
We’re nearing the halfway point of the baseball season, and you all know what means…the seniors are mere weeks away from entering the ever-expanding void of adult life! Yes, that. But also, it’s time to break down where the various NESCAC awards races stand. There will only be one winner of each award at the end of the year, but I’ve given acontender from each division as a way to get more names out there. As always with
This was the greatest travesty in the history of US reality television, DM me if you disagree.
articles like this, there will be some disagreements. I’ve tried my best to be fair and make reasonable choices, but as American Idol showed in season 8 when Kris Allen won over Adam Lambert, mistakes can be made. If you disagree with any of these names, feel free to email the blog or comment on the post.
Player of the Year
Frontrunner East: Tufts IF Nick Falkson ‘18 (.402/.457/.502, T-1st in league with 28 RBI)
Nick Falkson ’18 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)
Not to sow seeds of discontent within the Jumbo locker room, but there is quite a battle brewing for this spot between Falkson and outfielder Oscar Kutch ‘17. Kutch’s 1.133 OPS is a compelling argument in his favor, but Falkson ultimately takes it with a deadly combination of run production, fundamentals and excellent defense. Falkson is a terrific all around hitter, with quick enough hands to pull inside pitches. But he is also adept at shortening up and going the other way. Long story short, Falkson knows how to hit the baseball. And in a lineup like Tufts’ that is filled to the brim with guys who get on base, Falkson occupies a crucial spot as a run producer. All the guys in front of him have to do is get on, and there’s a good chance Falkson knocks them in. He also plays terrific defense at first base, which is a key component of Tufts’ success. Falkson plays on a great team, but his all around excellence may be what makes them great.
Frontrunner West: Wesleyan OF Matt Jeye ‘18 (.315/.388/.489, T-1st w/ 3 HR, T-1st w/ 28 RBI)
Matt Jeye ’18 (Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics)
Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that I don’t know much. But I do know one thing; when you lead the thing in home runs and RBI, that makes you a contender for the Player of the Year trophy. A powerful outfielder, Jeye provides the muscle in a Wesleyan lineup that has overachieved to some extent this season. Unlike Tufts, Wesleyan’s offense is not tremendously threatening outside of Jeye, making his 28 RBI arguably more impressive. Pitchers are able to focus more of their attention on Jeye than they are Falkson, and he has fewer weapons in front of him to get on base and give him RBI chances. This is not to say that Wesleyan is a non threatening offense, their team splits are a very solid .293/.381/.391. I’m just saying that Jeye might play a larger role in making his team’s offense threatening than Falkson does.
Other Names:
Middlebury 1B Jason Lock ‘17 (.397/.453/.575, 23 RBI, 5 SO in 73 AB)
Amherst OF Yanni Thannapoulos ‘17 (.400/.462/.550, 26 RBI)
Tufts OF Oscar Kutch ‘17 (.400/.520/.613)
Williams IF Kellen Hatheway ‘19 (.446/.500/.662, 7 steals, 3 triples)
Pitcher of the Year:
Frontrunner East: Tufts SP Speros Varinos ‘17 (6-0, 1.50 ERA, 46 SO in 42 innings)
Speros Varinos ’17 (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)
Unlike the Player of the Year race, the contest for Pitcher of the Year in the conference appears to be Varinos’ to lose. Varinos has quite simply been the best in every measurable category this season. He leads the league in wins, innings and strikeouts, and is second in the league in ERA despite having made two more starts than the leader. Of course, Varinos does benefit from excellent run support in the vaunted Tufts offense, and has a great defense behind him. But he has two games with 13 strikeouts this season, with one of them coming in his last start against a very good Castleton team. Varinos is only getting better as the season goes on, and should be ready to lead Tufts to a tournament run.
Frontrunner West: Williams SP John Lamont ‘20 (2-1, 2.77 ERA, 28 SO in 26 innings)
John Lamont ’20 (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)
It is perhaps questionable that much of Lamont’s qualifications for this spot come from one start. But what a start it was. On April 9th, Lamont shut down Matt Jeye and Wesleyan, giving up just one earned run and striking out 15. It was the biggest pitching performance of the season, as it helped Williams avoid a catastrophic sweep in their division, and it showed off the electric talent that Lamont possesses. He will probably need another excellent outing in a league game to stay in the running in his rookie year, but Lamont is the centerpiece of a very bright future in Williamstown.
Other Names:
Wesleyan SP Mike McCaffrey ’19 (3-1, 3.06 ERA, 36 K in 32.1 innings)
Trinity RP Erik Mohl ’19 (12 appearances, 6-1, 2.62 ERA)
Frontrunner East: Trinity C Alex Rodriguez ‘20 (.370/.379/.494, 19 RBI)
Alex Rodriguez ’20 (Courtesy of Trinity Athletics)
That’s right, when he’s not busy being a surprisingly good TV analyst and “dating” (I doubt they’ve ever held hands without a camera on them) Jennifer Lopez, A-Rod spends his time as a precocious first year catcher at Trinity College. Rodriguez required very little time to adjust to college pitching, as he hit .432 in March. This is particularly remarkable for a young catcher, who has to learn how to handle a pitching staff in addition to the offensive adjustment. He has hit something of a learning curve in league play, dropping down to .303 with a .298 OBP in league games. This is may be due in large part to fatigue from the catching duties he has handled for much of the year. In any case, Rodriguez is having an incredible rookie season, and should be a force for the forseeable future.
Frontrunner West: Williams SP John Lamont ‘20 (2-1, 2.77 ERA, 28 SO in 26 innings)
