Tag: Nick Nardone

More Than a Numbers Game: NESCAC Baseball All-Roster Pic Team

NESCAC Baseball All-Roster Pic Team

I set out to write this article with the intention of picking the top ten roster pics – one from each team. When I began looking through each team’s pictures it became apparent that I couldn’t just go with one from each team. There were really just too many good ones. So instead I decided to break guys up into groups that were similar to hopefully give everyone a bit of amusement. Also a random side note – the class of 2021 has shown off some truly hilarious roster pics across the board, so I expect to continue seeing big things in the future from this year’s sophomore class.

The Lumberjacks

Joseph Celio ’21 (Trinity), Bryan Gotti ’22 (Bates), & Will O’Brien ’19 (Williams)

These guys start us off with some nice, thick beards and (at least for Celio) a potentially problematic hairline. What we have here are a few power dudes who hit bombs, throw gas, and definitely chop down trees in their free time. If you see any of these guys outside of the baseball diamond I guarantee you’ll find them rocking a flannel and corduroys. They all could easily be standout players on the football field as well, but they wisely decided against CTE down the road. This is definitely a great way to kick us off.

Nick Nardone ’19 (Amherst)

I’m a big fan of Nardone’s beard and I think that’s probably because it is a huge upgrade from what he had going on last year. It nicely connects all the way through the mustache and appears to be full everywhere else. Hopefully the former Little League World Series star can return to his old form and guide Amherst back to the playoffs again this year.

Ryan Sholtis ’21 (Amherst)

What I find interesting about Sholtis’ beard is that it seems to be pretty long in some areas, while much shorter in others. I’m not really sure what look he was going for, but I know that I would probably take a razor to it. I don’t mean to be too critical though – he’s only a sophomore so I’m willing to give the beard a little more time to come together.

The Adult-Film Stars

Carter King ’19 (Hamilton), Tommy McGee ’21 (Colby), & Matt Mitchell ’19 (Colby)

Now here’s where things start to get really interesting. I would imagine that these three guys took a considerable amount of time preparing their ‘staches to be on camera. Their soft smiles tell you that they knew exactly what look they were going for and they know now that they nailed it. There are plenty of guys with plenty of mustaches out there, but not all of them are properly groomed or on the right faces. These ones are.

Peter Schuldt ’21 (Bates)

They may not be easy to see, but Pete’s mustache and chin piece are very much there. I’m not sure why he didn’t feel the need to put his hat all the way on his head, but I kind of like it. I also don’t really understand the reasoning behind Bates’ questionably lit roster pics, but it totally adds to the presentation here. I can’t imagine hitters would be particularly excited to face this guy.

Joe Suski ’21 (Hamilton)

Suski is absolutely killing this look. The penciled in mustache with a thick mane on his head that I still can’t figure out the color of is hilarious, and his on field performance has made it look even better. If you’re looking for a laugh then try looking at Suski’s picture and picturing him without all the hair – it’s like a completely different person. This guy found a look that no one else in the NESCAC has been able to replicate. Well done.

Sriharsha Bollu ’22 (Tufts)

With Bollu we actually run into a bit of a problem because he has one of the fuller mustaches we’ve seen, but we don’t get a great look at it due to his terrific, ear-to-ear smile. I’ll be the first to say that I think his smile absolutely makes up for it, but it’s a shame that we can’t get a better look at the whiskers. Perhaps next year he’ll consider straight-facing it like some of his teammates.

Sam Thoreen ’22 (Hamilton)

Oh yeah. The first two words that come to mind when I look at Thoreen’s headshot are “oh yeah.” The Fu Manchu is a classic look that many famous athletes have tried their hand at – Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Goose Gossage…and now Sam Thoreen. It’s clear that the Hamilton guys have a recurring theme with their pictures. Message received, fellas.

The “I’ve had picture day circled on my calendar since winter break”

Brandon Lopez ’19 (Bowdoin)

I’m a little disappointed because Lopez hasn’t changed his roster pic and he found a place in last year’s article, but here he is again. The facial hair is subtle, but combine that with the popped chains and bat on his shoulder and you get the full picture. It feels like he’s been in Brunswick for 15 years but this is finally the last time we’ll get to feel Lopez’s presence on the field. Hopefully it’s a good final act.

Tyler Mulberry ’19 (Colby)

Mulberry could have found a spot in the “Adult Film Stars” section but I felt like his hard work merited a spot here instead. This guy has a history of producing outstanding roster pics and he didn’t disappoint this year at all. The mustache, chin piece, and soul patch (?) all look like they peaked just in time for picture day and Mulberry took full advantage. Another nice effort from one of the Waterville guys.

Luke Pascarella ’22 (Trinity)

I’m sure that Pascarella will have a successful career at Trinity but he 100% missed his opportunity to star as one of the cast members in a renewal of Jersey Shore. The roster tells me that he’s from New York but my heart tells me that he’s straight out of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. He’s definitely the guy in the locker room that everyone goes to for hair product, but you know what? Every team needs that guy.

Michael O’Hare ’21 (Hamilton)

This is one of the more creative efforts I’ve ever seen. O’Hare made sure that the facial hair was properly in place for picture day, but the glasses on the hat definitely puts it over the top. We’ve seen the blank stare before, but in this case it makes it look like he doesn’t even know that the glasses are still there. Someone get this guy an Oscar. Very fine performance here from O’Hare.

Michael Volgende ’22 (Tufts)

Rumor has it that Volgende showed up on campus in the fall with a buzz cut and a baby face. He was always clean-shaven and properly coiffed. One day at a fall practice Coach Casey made an off-handed comment about Volgende’s youthful appearance, so he vowed that day that he wouldn’t cut a single hair on his body for the rest of the year. Thus, the grizzly bear was born.

The “I had no idea what I was doing for picture day”

Mike Dow ’19 (Amherst)

Good lord. I’m honestly pretty scared of this guy. Known for his on-field antics, Dow has clearly fully embraced the obligatory psycho relief pitcher role that most college teams have. I, for one, would feel a lot of pressure if I had to step in the box against this maniac. It can’t be a lot of fun making an out and then getting verbally abused at by the opposing pitcher on your walk back to the dugout.

George Goldstein ’21 (Middlebury)

There honestly isn’t a whole lot to this one; it pretty much just looks like Goldstein grew out some scruff and didn’t care that it was picture day. My main focus here is that he’s wearing a Phiten. Believe me, I wore the crap out of my Phiten. But that was back at AAU tournaments in 2009. I’m not sure what it says about a college baseball player who wears a Phiten, but it really doesn’t seem like George cares what we think.

Sam Phipps ’21 (Wesleyan)

This is another pretty bizarre one. What in the world was Phipps going for? There’s no way his mom pre-approved what was on his face for this one. It looks like he had a nicely groomed chin-piece that he got a little lazy on and then BOOM it was picture day. He had no idea what was coming. It’s almost as if you can see in his eyes that he knows he’ll have some explaining to do.

Jeremy Irzyk ’21 (Williams)

Jeremy was almost ready. He almost had everything just right. Maybe Williams moved picture day up earlier than he thought. Maybe he overestimated his ability to grow facial hair. I don’t know, I’m not him. It must have been pretty bright in Williamstown when they took the pictures because Irzyk chose not to give us a great look at his eyes. Interesting move, mystery man.

Brian Lawson ’20 (Hamilton)

I’d like to meet with the registrar at Hamilton because I’m not convinced that this guy is even enrolled at the school. I’m guessing that he lives in the woods somewhere near the school and when it’s time for his start in the rotation they get him a uniform and glove and throw him out on the mound. In fact, I’ve heard that the only photographs of Lawson in existence are his roster pics from the past three seasons. It’s a unique situation they’ve got going on over there but apparently it seems to be working.

Kelvin Sosa ’21 (Wesleyan)

Absolutely outrageous move going with one eyebrow up for your roster pic. It’s unclear whether Sosa wasn’t ready for the picture to be taken or if he really just doesn’t care that he looks absurd. I’ve heard this is the exact look he likes to give hitters after he strikes them out in the second inning of a scoreless mid-week game. Like momma always said: psycho is as psycho does.

Mammoth-Sized Shoes to Fill: NESCAC West Preview

Amherst College Mammoths

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

Projected NESCAC Record: 8-4

Key Losses:

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

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

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

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

Coach Hamm (9 years, 221-113 record)

Key Returners:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything Else

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

Wesleyan University Cardinals

Head Coach: Mark Woodworth, 18th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 8-4

Key Losses:

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

Key Returners:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything Else

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

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

Middlebury College Panthers

Head Coach: Mike Leonard, 3rd Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 6-6

Key Losses:

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

Key Returners:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything Else

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

Williams College Ephs

Head Coach: Bill Barrale, 12th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 6-6

Key Losses:

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

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

Key Returners:

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

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

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

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

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

Everything Else

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

Hamilton College Continentals

Head Coach: Tim Byrnes, 12th Season

Projected NESCAC Record: 2-10

Key Losses:

None

Key Returners:

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

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

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

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

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

Everything Else

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

Next Year Starts Now: Way Too Early 2019 NESCAC Baseball Power Rankings

2019 NESCAC Baseball Preseason Power Rankings:

After it was all said and done, Amherst showed everyone why you can’t count them out. Facing elimination against Middlebury, Amherst won some close ballgames to survive and advance, combining clutch pitching and hitting all the way to a NESCAC title. As the Harry Roberson and Max Steinhorn era comes to a close at Amherst, it was nice from a personal perspective that these guys won it all. With those guys leaving, however, it is tough to think that Amherst will be in the same position next year. While coaches Brian Hamm and John Casey will never put out a losing team onto the field, a product of superior coaching, recruiting, and pedigree, they have a tough task to replace their best hitters. Casey arguably has a harder task, needing to replace the meat of his lineup, but will likely have some hot shot recruits coming in to fill that void. As these guys graduate and move on to the real world, teams filled with underclassmen will start to rise. Middlebury, and Wesleyan of the west division were filled with strong underclassmen, while Trinity looks to be the most promising out of the East.

1). Wesleyan:

With sometimes inconsistent hitting, Wesleyan’s NESCAC success will rely on the control and success of their pitching staff.

Wesleyan had to play a perfect game against Tufts to stay alive in the tournament and they revealed some weaknesses in their pitching staff as a result. Despite some stellar offensive numbers (.298 team AVG), the Cards struggled against quality pitching down the stretch. At times they looked overmatched in the NESCAC tournament, seeing their true advantage of starting pitching fail to execute when it counted. Mike McCaffrey and Kelvin Sosa, two of the most talented pitchers in the league, went 5.1 innings, allowing 11 runs and 13 BBs in the NESCAC tournament, leading to an early exit. They have the offensive depth and starting pitching to go a long way, but they need to compete better in big games and show that their bullpen can keep the score close if their starters don’t got deep into outings. The Cards are young, though and just might have the talent to go all the way. Alex Capitelli, Danny Rose, Kelvin Sosa, and Mike McCaffrey are just a few of the names the Cardinals are returning.

2). Middlebury:

Colin Waters is a wild card for 2019, putting up solid numbers as a sophomore and coming on only at the end of this year. Not playing football could turn him into one of NESCAC’s best arms.

Middlebury came close to making the playoffs, but a weak start to the season made any road to the postseason a long shot if not impossible. Getting swept by Wesleyan in one of the early serieses gave Midd absolutely no momentum and a 2-4 record at the halfway point. The squad stopped underachieving around three-quarters into the year, but by then, it was too late. They were hampered all year by injuries too as highly touted recruit Michael Farinelli and starting pitcher Spencer Shores both went down with Tommy John surgery after the preseason. Shores, a hard throwing righty with jerky mechanics and a wipeout slider, saw tons of success at the beginning of 2017 and if he can get healthy, the Panthers should have a formidable pitching staff. Anchoring that pitching staff is Colby Morris, one of the NESCAC’s top arms and Colin Waters who really came on at the end of the year, dominating Union in a 5-3 victory and shutting down Amherst in relief. 1B Kevin Woodring (1st Team All-NESCAC Nose Tackle for the football team) went down with a knee injury against Williams and did not return the rest of the way, and has the potential to lead the league in HR. They also have the NESCAC defensive POY, Brooks Carroll at SS, First-Team All-NESCAC 2B Justin Han, and a breakout hitter in Hayden Smith. The ceiling is high for this team, but as always the question will be: Will they put it all together?

3). Trinity:

Trinity has solid starting pitching and their offensive is anchored by the powerful Koperniak.

Trinity must be kicking themselves after such a heartbreaking change of events at the end of the regular season. The Bantams started off the season so strong, winning the series against Tufts and Bowdoin and sweeping Colby, setting themselves up for an early playoff clinch with a 7-2 record. With Tufts underachieving, Bates not hitting, and the rest of the east not playing well all together, it seemed like a playoff spot for Trin was locked up. Losing three tight games in a row to Bates, however, killed the Bantams season. The potential returns, though: no weekend starter for Trin was a senior, so they’ll be back. Alex Shafer dominated all year and is in the conversation for pitcher of the year, Erik Mohl had a down year but could return to his All-NESCAC form. C Alex Rodriguez needs to step up though, seeing his stellar freshman numbers collapse in his sophomore campaign. Hopefully a second stint in the NECBL will help him find that talent once again. Matt Koperniak broke out and garnered both All-NESCAC and All-Region honors and will be their on field leader in 2019. With their new field, good coaching, and likely some talented recruits coming in, the Bantams will be an exciting team to watch come next spring.

4). Tufts:

Tufts didn’t surprise anybody by winning the East division regular season title, proving our preseason rankings correct. Although they made it to the tournament, they lacked pitching dominance like they have enjoyed in their previous eras, seeing their #2 and #3 starters combine for a paltry 4.05 K/9. Despite sub-3.00 ERAs from both of these players, Brent Greeley and Spencer Langdon, their strikeout numbers reveal that they can’t generate swings and misses and rely on good defense and a bad BABIP (batting average on balls in play) from opponents. Well, it might not get much better, as their corner infielders Tommy O’Hara and Nick Falkson graduated. Their seniors represented a 4x First Team All-NESCAC honoree in 3B Tommy O’Hara, the 2018 NESCAC POY Malcolm Nachmanoff, and the 2017 NESCAC POY Nick Falkson which is tough for even the legendary coach John Casey to replace. RJ Hall will lead the staff to a number of wins, but they might not have the offense to dominate like they usually do. One thing to count on is that they will lead the league in hit by pitches by about 50.

5). Williams: 

Williams had a tough season without their ace Johnny Lamont. He’s an elite pitcher, although even he wouldn’t have been able to solve all of the Ephs’ pitching problems. Williams simply lacked ‘stuff’ on the mound this year and their offense wasn’t deep enough to make up for it. Kyle Dean will likely move back to the bullpen next year where he saw success as a freshman, and Lamont should help balance out the staff. Jack Bohen will need to be more consistent for his team to have a chance to win NESCAC weekend games. Kellen Hatheway and Jack Roberts had talent sure enough, but got off to slow starts and never got back to the All-NESCAC level that they were at in the past. Hatheway will surely figure it out (unless he gets an internship this summer) and is still an elite DIII defender, with arguably the most range in the conference. Losing is never fun, and the Ephs’ playoff drought is getting longer and longer, so they will assuredly come back next year with a new sense of energy especially with their ace returning.

6). Amherst:

Nick Nardone is one of the lone powerful bats remaining in Amherst’s lineup.

What a run it was for the Amherst Mammoths. They won 5 straight to head to the New York Regional, and while they exited after a quick 0-2 performance, they lost both games by one run, competing and showing that they deserved to be there. Ultimately their offensive depth was an issue as Max Steinhorn, Ariel Kenney, and Harry Roberson were far more dangerous than their other hitters, but they had the best all around team in the conference. Their pitching, both starting and relief, performed when they needed it to, and some unlikely offensive heroes stepped up in big spots. Bolstering the lineup in 2019 will be first year standout Joseph Palmo, whose wide batting stance is surprisingly balance and consistent, offering a contact heavy and line drive approach. He, along with Severino Simeone and Nick Nardone, should lead the Mammoth team who desperately needs to retool after losing some of their program’s all time best players. Andrew Ferrero finally pitched up to his potential too, and with Zach and Davis Brown, they could easily keep most of their NESCAC opponents at bay to compete for another title.

7). Bates:

Bates, underwhelming in most statistical categories, somehow got into the playoffs again. I don’t know what’s in the water up in Lewiston, but once you make the playoffs, nobody could care less about your stats. What it came down to was doing what Middlebury couldn’t–winning with their season on the line and coming from behind to take tight ballgames. A .237 team average is one of the worst in the ‘Cac, but the Bobcats beat out other teams with better team averages to see their season continue. What was especially huge was how they saw a future ace emerge as Nolan Collins threw the ball extremely well in tight spots. The sophomore posted a 2.75 ERA, and was the go to pitcher for Bobcats in must win games, knocking off Tufts in their final series to clinch a trip to Hartford. No hitter posted above a .267 average with most hitters barely hitting their weight though and that is a recurring issue. It will be tough for the Bobcats to get in again with that hitting, but Zach Avila was a breakout player who could see continued success in the NESCAC along with second year starting catcher and All-NESCAC honoree Jack Arend. I counted them out before, so it’s hard to predict what they’ll do next year. All I have to say is it ain’t over until all 12 games are played.

8). Bowdoin:

Bowdoin either needs to have a stellar recruiting class coming in or Lopez needs to be the ace that the Polar Bears were missing in 2018.

The Bowdoin Polar Bears’ end of year record was solid at 7-5, but they lost out on a playoff bid in tiebreaking fashion to Bates. I’m sure that they want to get revenge on Bates for making the playoffs two years in a row, seeing their season end exceptionally early. Like in the west, Bowdoin has a lot of young guys in All-NESCAC honoree Eric Mah and Connor Lee who led the team in hitting. Those two will put up another good year at the plate in 2019, as the team will be bolstered by all around athlete Brandon Lopez. Lopez started off the season terribly and looked as if his velocity dropped from previous years, but turned it around back to back gems against Colby (not a huge confidence booster) and Southern Maine. The game against Southern Maine really gives the Polar Bears some momentum moving forward as the ranked Huskies dominated all the other NESCAC teams they played (Bates, Colby, Amherst). Brett Osterholtz and Colby Lewis will need to step up to make the starting staff more formidable, but if they do, look for Bowdoin to compete for a playoff bid again next year.

9). Hamilton:

Hamilton Baseball’s 2021 class showed a lot of potential, leading to an exciting offseason for the young program.

Hamilton, as usual, is competitive at times with the league’s best but also finds a way to come up short. The West division is no cake walk with perennial winners Wesleyan and Amherst, but Hamilton showed to both teams that they should be respected. They won the series against Wesleyan and took one game from Amherst after losing the first two in heartbreaking fashion. The team is young, and didn’t return too many starters, putting out a product much better than most expected. Matt Zaffino raked all year, garnering the NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors—ending the season with a .359 average. If they can figure it out in close games, Hamilton could potentially make the playoffs next year. They need to keep games close to give the ball to their lights out closer Ian Nish, and have to improve on their defense and offensive execution.

10). Colby

Colby had a tough year and there’s no way around that with a 1-11 NESCAC season. It doesn’t look like it’ll get much better next year either. The Mules’ best hitter and my former classmate Matt Treveloni is graduating (congrats, Trev), and the east is far more variable than the West. Tufts is always a good team, however they didn’t dominate like they have in the past few years and aren’t likely to improve without their three best hitters. The other teams in the East–Bates, Bowdoin, and Trinity are likely to improve though, and the Mules will have a tough task ahead of them without any cake-walk serieses. If pitchers throw strikes for the Mules next year (and they find a new starting pitching staff or it Taimu Ito returns to this 2017 form), they could be 4-8 in conference, but to be better, they’ll need to find some more offense.

It was a great year. Teams that seem to always get the job done, Amherst and Tufts, made it to the finals and two great coached teams playing each other is every baseball fan’s dream. In the end, Amherst proved to everyone why the game always requires twenty-seven outs, cranking out stellar performances in must win games like it was easy. The highlight of the regular season was the way that the East division came down to a three team tiebreaker, showing that no matter how many games are played, everything still seems to come down to the wire. Thank you to all the players and coaches that make the season so enjoyable! See you next spring.

-Andrew

 

 

What You Gotta Know: Amherst vs. Middlebury Series Breakdown

While everybody is looking towards the playoffs, there is still one series and one playoff spot on the line. Middlebury and Amherst are playing for their playoff lives with everything on the line this weekend. Read more to find out what you need to know before Saturday’s doubleheader:

Location: Forbes Field – Middlebury, VT

 While Middlebury has only played 5 of their 28 games at home this season, they’ve certainly had success when playing on their own diamond. On the season Midd sits at 4-1 in all home contests, thanks to their current 4 game win streak at home. On the other side of the equation, Amherst has only had 7 away games this year and they are 4-3 in those contests, most notably beating Wesleyan 2 games out of 3 on the road. Overall I’d give the Panthers a slight advantage being on their home turf, but Amherst has clearly shown that they can get it done on the road, so home field advantage will not be enough to take them down.

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Colby Morris ‘19 (Middlebury) 4-4, 1.92 ERA vs Andrew Ferrero ‘19 (Amherst) 3-1, 2.19 ERA

Colby Morris ’19

Andrew Ferrero ’19

 

 

 

 

 

Game 2: Robert Erickson ‘18 (Middlebury) 3-2, 3.19 ERA vs Sam Schneider ‘18 (Amherst) 3-2, 3.22 ERA

Rob Erickson ’18

Sam Schneider ’18

 

 

 

 

 

Game 3: George Goldstein ‘21 (Middlebury) 2-0, 1.02 ERA vs Davis Brown ‘19 (Amherst) 5-2, 3.80 ERA

George Goldstein ’21

Davis Brown ’19

Game 1 of this series features two of the top pitchers in the conference this year in Morris and Ferrero. Both are Juniors, Bay Area natives (despite the fact that Morris lists himself as from Del Mar, which is fake news) (Editor’s Note: It is not fake news) and are enjoying the best years of their careers thus far. Game 1 should be a tight, low-scoring contest and will come down to which one of these aces can go the distance for their team. I would give Morris the advantage over Ferrero because he has been able to go CG in 2 of his 3 NESCAC games so far and has maintained a stellar 1.23 ERA in conference this year. Before Amherst’s loss against Hamilton I would have said that the game two matchup should be very close as well. But after giving up 6 earned in 3+ innings Davis Brown will likely have his start pushed to Sunday. That leaves the task up to Sam Schneider ’18 who will be making his last NESCAC start. Schneider got bounced after one inning against Hamilton and put up quality starts in his other two outings and is by no means a lock for success. On the other hand, Erickson has been able to hold all NESCAC West opponents to 3 runs or less per start so far this year. If both teams maintain their same rotation as last week then game 2 should be lopsidedly in favor of Middlebury. Game 3 looks to be an absolute wildcard as it pits Freshman George Goldstein, who only has one career start, against either Brown or an Amherst bullpen arm. Goldstein’s only career start came last week against Hamilton where he was able to go 5 strong, scoreless innings to get the final win of the series sweep for the Panthers. Despite Goldstein’s stellar numbers, because he didn’t go more than five innings in his start, he leaves a lot up to the Middlebury bullpen. This

Key Players:

 Middlebury

Hayden Smith ‘20: .382/.452/.461, 21 RBI, 6 XBH

Justin Han ‘20: .367/.528/.456, 18 RBI, 27 BB, 20SB

Brooks Carroll ‘20: .311/.376/.427, 12 RBI, 9 XBH, 15SB

Amherst

Ariel Kenney ‘18: .420/.496/.670, 21 RBI, 4 HR, 11 BB

Max Steinhorn ‘18: .391/.458/.461, 16 RBI, 6 XBH, 14 SB

Harry Roberson ‘18: .316/.421/.429, 11 2B, 24 RBI, 16 BB

Numbers-wise, Amherst’s offense is clearly superior to Midd’s. Lead by a trio of Seniors, Amherst currently has the best team batting average in the conference at .304 while Midd sits in 6th at .267. One thing that both of these teams do especially well is run the bases. Midd leads the conference by a significant margin with their 72 bags swiped while Amherst is 3rd with their 53 stolen bases. Interestingly, when it comes to away games for the Mammoths, their team average is less than 10 points lower than it is for home games, showing that they are not intimidated on the road. Luckily for Middlebury, their team average goes up nearly 80 points when they are on their home field, which may provide some of the offense that Midd has seemed to be lacking all season. Overall, I think that Amherst has a clear offensive advantage over Middlebury and Midd will need to use the leverage of their home field advantage, as well as their current 9 game win streak, in their favor in order to be able to match the Mammoth’s outstanding plate presence.

Midd has something going right now after two straight sweeps. Photo courtesy of David Goldstein.

Series History (Since 2007)

Overall:

Amherst: 25-9

Middlebury 9-25

Home:

Amherst: 11-4

Middlebury: 5-10

 Away:

Amherst: 10-5

Middlebury 4-11

 Neutral:

Amherst: 4-0

Middlebury 0-4

 It’s fairly clear to see that over the past decade or so Amherst has dominated their matchup against Midd. Both the home and away numbers are very similar for both teams, showing that home field advantage has not played all too much of a role in their past meetings. Although last year Midd was able to take 2 of 3 games from the Mammoths in Massachusetts and Middlebury made a much further playoff run than Amherst, so perhaps we are seeing a cultural shift happening in Vermont that is trending in the right direction. Despite the fact that history would choose Amherst over Midd by a long shot, with the recent momentum Midd has gained as well as their success last season against Amherst, this series will certainly be much tighter than it has been in years past.

What’s on the Line (Playoff Scenarios)

 Amherst: After a devastating loss to Hamilton on Thursday, the Mammoths now need to get a series win on the road in order to secure their playoff spot. Anything less than 2 wins would have Amherst go from the #1 seed to a team that will miss the playoffs entirely. If the Mammoths are able to take 2 games from Midd they will salvage their playoff spot and retain their status as the #1 seed.

Middlebury: Hamilton’s win over Amherst was a godsend for the Panthers as Midd’s comeback from last in the division is nearly complete. All Middlebury needs now is a series win at home to come all the way back from their rocky start. 2 wins or more will see Middlebury make the playoffs as the #2 seed, something that seemed unfathomable just weeks ago.

 

 

 

Divisions Keep Them Separate, But How Do They Stack Up? Baseball Midseason Power Rankings

Right In The Thick of Things: Power Rankings Week 5

I have a love/hate relationship with NESCAC baseball. On one hand, I hate the way the divisions and playoff systems work but love the way it emphasizes head-to-head matchups. As an athlete myself, I hate how fast the spring season goes for these teams that have been preparing together since they stepped on campus in the fall yet I love how quickly these teams are forced to get into the mix. So with that being said, it’s hard to believe that it’s the second week of April and there are two huge weekends of NESCAC divisional play remaining. The season is in full swing, and with it comes some Power Rankings.

  1. Wesleyan 

The only undefeated team in the conference, and although overall records don’t matter in baseball the same way they do in other NESCAC sports, the holder of the best overall record at 13-6, are the Wesleyan Cardinals. Wesleyan started their league campaign off with a 3-game sweep of defending conference finalist Middlebury. The most impressive part of their weekend was how they showcased a variety of ways they can beat you. Mike McCaffrey has begun to prove our preseason hype correct throwing 6 no-hit innings with 10 Ks, combining with Pat Clare for their first no-hitter since 1981. The duo outpitched Middlebury’s Colby Morris (never heard of him) in a 1-0 win to start the series, and then the bats followed it up with two shootout wins in which they put up double digit runs in each game. OF Alex Cappitelli ’20 continued his solid sophomore campaign by leading the team with 4 RBIs on the weekend, but the real story so far for Wesleyan has been their depth through the order. The Cards have 7 guys in their lineup hitting above .300, which is why it should come as no surprise that they lead the NESCAC in hitting with a .305 average. They will definitely be the better team when they travel to New York this weekend for a series with Hamilton and should see their West Division grow larger after a strong start.

  1. Amherst

Amherst followed up their two game sweep of Hamilton with a series win on the road against archrival Williams, putting them at a strong 4-1 in the West Division. The Mammoths are second in the league with a .299 team batting average and lead the league as a pitching staff with a collective 4.18 ERA. They’re more than likely kicking themselves for letting Williams steal Game 2 late, but the Purple and White are in great shape. They do have the toughest schedule remaining in the West with Wesleyan and Middlebury looming, 5 of those 6 games being on the road as well. OF Ariel Kenney ’18 is firmly at the front of the POY conversation with his .431 AVG, to go along with 2 HRs and 10 RBI. 3B Nick Nardone ’19 is also looking to enter that race (.322, 2 HRs, 15 RBI), and the best part for Amherst might be that SS Harry Roberson ’18 (.228 AVG, 16 RBI), has really yet to get going. There might not be a team in the league better equipped for a 3 game series.

  1. Trinity

If you’re the Bantams you definitely have every right to feel slighted with a spot at 3 in these rankings, but I think Amherst’s consistency/every team statistic available gives them the edge. Trinity has opened the season just as they had hoped, taking 2 out of 3 from both Tufts and Bowdoin. In my East Division preview I wrote that the key to Trin’s season would be keeping the poor starting pitching performances to a minimum, but they have yet to do that in the way they would’ve hoped. While they are 3rd in the league with a 4.38 ERA, it is games like their 15-8 loss to Bowdoin that could keep them from reaching the heights they are hoping to find. They caught Bowdoin P Brandon Lopez ’19 on an off night (3.0 IP, 4 R, 5 BB), but P Erik Mohl ’19 couldn’t get out of the 2nd inning (1.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R) and the Polar Bears blitzed the Trinity bullpen for eight runs in the 7th inning alone. This team can flat out rake, but we are yet to see them clicking on all cylinders like they are capable of. Tufts, like the good team they are, were able to hold them to 13 runs over 3 games, but they were able to climb up to 21 over 3 against Bowdoin. They have the firepower, and perhaps more importantly, the strength of schedule—having already seen off Tufts and Bowdoin—to take the East Division and contend for the NESCAC.

  1. Tufts

They lost 2 out of 3 games to a good Trinity team, but that is certainly not a cause for concern. RJ Hall, Brent Greeley, and Spencer Langdon combined to throw 19 IP and allow 3 runs, erasing any doubt over the turnover in the bullpen this year. They were a 5 spot in the 7th inning in Game 2 away from winning the series and climbing higher on these rankings, but this is still a really good team and the class of the NESCAC. IF Tommy O’Hara ’18 (.358 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI) has looked every bit the first-teamer he was last year and is certainly right in the mix for POY. The Jumbos are getting their usual mix of contributions all over the order, but if there was one place they would like to see improvement it would be in IF Nick Falkson ‘18’s batting average. The reigning league Player of the Year is showing off his usual power so far this year, to the tune of 4 HRs and 22 RBI, but his average sits at just .258., a far cry from his .373 last year. He has already doubled his big flies, but the contact has not been there quite yet. Look for that to change soon. The story of the year in Somerville, however, is the play of P Brent Greeley ’20. The sophomore has been absolutely lights out, boasting a 4-0 line with a 1.29 ERA (second in the league) in 28.0 IP. His 3.54 K/9 obviously is not indicative of overpowering stuff and time will tell if this is just a hot streak, but the fact that they have a top of the line starter is huge for them going forward. As they showed against Trinity, they have starting pitching that can go deep in games, and deep in the season.

For Midd to figure it out, Colin Waters ’19 and the rest of the pitching staff are going to have come to play versus Amherst

  1. Middlebury

I think there’s a pretty clear top 4 in the NESCAC right now, and spots 5-7 are a toss up, but I’m going to give Midd the nod here on account of strength of schedule, close games, and the fact that this is Middlebury on NbN that we’re talking about. They got swept by Wesleyan but if Colby Morris ’20 pitches like that (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 K) for the rest of the year they’re not going to get swept at all (or if they don’t get no-hit). They took 2 out of 3 against a struggling Williams team in California, and although they managed to hang 20 in one of those wins, it did come against the worst pitching staff in the league, so the jury is still out on that one. The 0-3 weekend against Wesleyan makes it a really uphill battle to return the playoffs, especially with Amherst still on the schedule. Their other rather glaring problem is that they haven’t really been good at anything, hitting .252 (9th in the league) and holding the 8th best ERA at 5.57. They need some guys to really start carrying the team if they’re not going to collectively produce. Morris has shown number 1 stuff, and sophomore infielders Hayden Smith (.365 AVG, 9 RBI) and Justin Han (.344 AVG, 14 RBI) could be the catalysts offensively for the Panthers, but it’s quickly turned into do or die time.

  1. Bowdoin

Bowdoin and Bates each find themselves at 3-3 but Bowdoin took 2 out of 3 from the Bobcats, so that made this decision easy. The Polar Bears have ridden P Max Vogel-Freedman ’19 and P Brandon Lopez ’19 to a playoff spot if the season ended today, but unfortunately it doesn’t, and they still have to face Tufts. Bowdoin has utilized the long ball to its benefit with 6 different guys combining to hit 8 homers on the year. I would also like to use this time to throw a shoutout to 1B Sawyer Billings ’18 whose 2-26 with 2 HRs stat line is eerily reminiscent to my Little League production—thanks for bringing me back to the good ole days, Sawyer. Anyways, with Vogel-Freedman and Lopez pitching like they are, they should feel good about their ability to compete. If they can steal 1 or even 2 from Tufts, and then take 2 out of 3 from Colby, that would put them at either 7-5 or 6-6 in the division. Is that going to be good enough to make the playoffs?

  1. Bates

The other 3-3 team in the East are going to need some help and putting this team at 7 feels wrong but someone has to do it. The reality is that this team has taken no strides forward at the plate, and it’s going to be pretty hard (read: near impossible) to make the playoffs hitting .217 as a team. Zach Avila is the only guy hitting above .300 (.316) but none of his 12 hits have been extra base hits. Dan Trulli ’19 (.265, 2 HR, 16 RBI) is their biggest weapon at the plate, but he’s either going to need to do a lot more than what he’s doing now if he’s not going to get any help. Can Connor Russell and Justin Foley make up for it on the mound? Russell has shown he can pitch as good as any arm in the league for a day, but he’s going to have to consistently do it the rest of the way home. The reality is that with 6 games remaining, 3 each against Tufts and Trinity, the Bobcats probably didn’t do enough with their first 6 to stay in the hunt. Perhaps they can play spoiler.

  1. Colby

Colby was able to snag one off of Bates to avoid being swept in their opening weekend, getting a nice pitching performance from first-year LHP Paul Ariola (7 IP, 1 R, 6K). Colby’s biggest problem has been injuries to their pitching staff. Like, all of it. Ariola ’21 leads the team in innings pitched with just 16.1. The guys we expected to take a jump up this year are either hurt or aren’t producing. There’s really no guessing which three guys Coach Plummer will roll out to the mound on a given weekend right now, but it is yet to fully go off the rails for Colby, in large part due to the play of senior OF Matt Treveloni, who has been nothing shy of white hot. Treveloni leads the league with a .440 average to go along with 1 HR and 14 RBI. Colby is still young and has a lot of arms, and while injuries stink, it should give a lot of those young guys chances to prove themselves on the mound.

  1. Williams

It’s safe to say this season has not gone as planned for the Ephs. John Lamont and Sean Hager ’20 vanished seemingly overnight, Lamont to injury, and Hager to transferring, and what remained was a pitching staff with a comfortably league worst 7.37 ERA. Their pitchers just don’t have the stuff, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve struck out 35 less batters than the next closest NESCAC team. Their attempt to convert Kyle Dean ’20 from a reliever, a role in which he had great success last year (26.0 IP, 1.38 ERA, 9.35 K/9) has not worked out, and they are desperately seeking guys to fill their rotation. The bright spots for this team have been the young guys, particularly the freshmen. Sophomore OF Mike Stamas (.375 AVG, 24 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI) has taken the jump up in second year production, but 2021s OF Erik Mini (.265, 2 HR, 7 RBI), IF Eric Pappas (.415, 17 H) and RHP George Carroll (24.1 IP, 3.70 ERA, starter of both NESCAC wins) have been what Eph fans should be most excited about. This team is also actually quite solid at the plate (.279, 4th in the NESCAC). If they can find a couple of pitchers that can join Carroll and get past the 2nd inning, and veterans like INFs Kellen Hathaway ’19 and Jack Roberts ’18 can lead this team at the top of the order, they could win some games. But they still have Wesleyan left on their schedule, and if that 7.37 ERA doesn’t drop quicker than Bitcoin their season will be ending shortly.

Zaffino and the Continentals have nowhere to go but up.

  1. Hamilton

There was some competition with Williams for this coveted spot but it goes to the Continentals because they are the only NESCAC team without a league win. Like I said with some previous teams, some of these rankings are harsh, and as the person writing them can attest, they’re not easy to do either, especially when strength of schedule is such a factor. Hamilton will turn it around and win some games going forward, although looking ahead to Wesleyan and Middlebury (and Williams) isn’t ideal, but they’ve got talent. INF Matt Zaffino has just about locked up ROY in the second week of April, putting up as good of a first season as the league has seen in a while, hitting .429 (T2), 3 HR (2nd), and 18 RBI (5th). The kids have been the story for this team, as Zaffino’s first year classmates INF Jarrett Lee (.370, 20 H, 8 RBI) and INF Matt Cappelletti (.295, 2 HR, 8 RBI) have joined in on the production party. They have yet to find consistent top end pitching, but hopefully that will come. This is going to come across as a cop out (it is a cop out) but Hamilton won’t finish 10th in the last Power Rankings, I feel pretty certain about that.

Pitching is the Catalyst: NESCAC Baseball Stock Report Week 3

Stock Up:

Messing with Hitters

This weekend Wesleyan Freshman Klevin Sosa a.k.a. the lefty Johnny Cueto of the ‘CAC, showed us that he means business. Sosa pitched an absolute gem of a game against reigning runner-ups Middlebury to give the Cardinals a win in the second game of their series sweep. Sosa tossed 6 ⅔ dominant innings to stifle the Panthers, racking up 11Ks and only allowing 2 walks and 2 hits for no runs. With a season ERA of 1.16 and a K/9 of nearly 12, Sosa is not only making a case for a NESCAC Rookie of the Year spot, but maybe a First Team bid as well if he keeps this going through conference play. His keys to success are his changes in timing, slidestepping, double-leg kicking, holding at the bottom, and generally messing with hitters. He has some of the same flair as Johnny Cueto and Marcus Stroman, and was able to pitch like them last weekend:

Preseason Awards List Accuracy

If you thought Sosa’s performance was good, then you missed the real gem. LHP Mike McCaffrey ’19 didn’t just quiet Middlebury bats, he silenced them, combining for a no-no with Pat Clare. I would like to personally thank Mike for starting to live up to my prediction (https://nothingbutnescac.com/?p=5845) that he will be this year’s West Division Cy Young. His rocky starts in non-conference matchups did have me worried and his 4.28 ERA is still not where it needs to be, but clearly McCaffrey knows how to get hot when it counts. I would also like to offer my condolences to my editor and friend, RHP Colby Morris ‘19 (Middlebury), who pitched a CG loss for the Panthers against McCaffrey’s Cardinals. With the way that Midd was hitting in Game 1 they may as well have let Colby have a shot at hitting McCaffrey. But as anyone who has seen Colby hit knows, he probably would have fared just as well as his teammates.

McCaffrey was three outs a way from a CG no-no. A combined no hitter isn’t too bad though.

Amherst’s Weightlifting Program

The upperclassmen duo of Nick Nardone and Ariel Kenney wreaked havoc on the ERA of Williams’ pitchers this weekend. Both Nardone and Kenney managed to hit doubles in every single game of their 2-1 series win against the Ephs. Combined, these two hit .500/.577/.773 on the weekend powering the Mammoths to 11-9 and 16-4 wins along with a tight 5-4 loss. On the season Nardone now has a very respectable .876 OPS and Kenney boasts a ridiculous .431 BA. Halfway through conference play it’s looking like Amherst could be contending with West Division rival Wesleyan for the top spot in the NESCAC. These two clubs will face off for their final in-conference series later this month in what could turn out to be a NESCAC Championship preview. For now, the Mammoths will be traveling to Vermont next weekend to take on a staggering Panther team, which could lead to further inflation of these already noteworthy stats for Kenney and Nardone.

Bates Pitching

Holding another team to only 5 runs in a series is usually unheard of in NESCAC baseball, but the boys on the mound for the Bobcats were able to pull it off this past weekend. Starting off the series for Bates was LHP Connor Russell ‘18 who shut down rival Colby College on their own turf, going the distance in a complete game shutout. Although he didn’t need it, Russell was aided with copious run support in an 11-0 blowout. Bates took that momentum into Game 2 in which, RHP Nolan Collins ‘20, went 7 strong innings, only surrendering 1 run to the Mules. LHP Jake Shapiro ‘18 then came in for the Bobcats and finished off Game 2, not allowing a run in his 2 innings of relief. Although Bates did lose Game 3, they still got a scoreless 3 ⅓ IP of relief on a combined effort by Alex Simon ‘19, Miles Michaud ‘20 and Jake Shapiro ‘18. After a fairly ugly preseason, I’m sure that the Bobcats are fired up to see that things are starting to click on the mound. Although Colby doesn’t appear to be the strongest competition in the NESCAC, teams have to take every conference win that they can in order to contend for a playoff spot. In a conference of hitters, finding a way to get it done on the mound is invaluable. 

Stock Down:

William’s Starting Pitching

When you struggle to make it to the second inning on the mound, you’re gonna have a bad time. In their series against Amherst, Williams’ starters RHP Kyle Dean ‘20 and LHP Charlie Carpenter ‘20 combined to go 0-2, only lasting 1 ⅔ IP, and amassing 13 ER on 8 hits, 6 walks and 3 Ks. Now I’m sure everyone has heard of the sophomore slump, but a combined 70.2 ERA and 8.40 WHIP for the two hurlers is a little more harsh than most could even imagine. I’m just going to go ahead and say that Dean is not going to win the Reliever of the Year award, I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and wow was I wrong with that one. A consolation prize goes to RHP George Carroll ‘21, who went 6 ⅔ IP and allowed 3 ER in the Eph’s lone 5-4 win. Thanks to Carroll, Williams starter’s ERA drops to 17.3 for the weekend, not great but, hey, it’s something. Williams will face both Trinity and Bates next week in a pair of battles between East and West in which they will look to bounce back from their performance against Amherst. To end on some words of encouragement for the Eph’s staff, there is nowhere to go but up, probably.

There have been plenty of runners for Williams C Alex Panstares to worry about with the state of their starting pitching.

Midd’s Playoff Hopes

As the Panthers returned east, leaving sunny SoCal, their hopes to make their way back to the NESCAC championship went south. In the NESCAC, in which you only have 12 conference games, being swept could be a death sentence for your playoff hopes. Too little, too late was the story of the weekend for the Panther lineup. Middlebury’s offense was held scoreless by Wesleyan for the first 13 innings of the series, not scoring until the 7th inning of Game 2. Maybe the reason that Midd couldn’t get their bats going is that morale was low from the get-go. At no point in any of the three games was Middlebury in the lead. This is probably due to the fact that in the first 5 innings of each game Wesleyan outscored Midd 18-4, aka too little.  Although the Panthers were able to turn it around later in the game, outscoring Wesleyan 10-5 from the 6th inning on, it was, you guessed it, too late. Baseball is a game of momentum and there was none to be found for Middlebury this weekend and it showed in the box scores. A team ERA of 9.41 and team batting average of .195 is not going to get the Panthers where they need to be. Middlebury’s series next weekend against Amherst will be make or break for their season. A sweep will put them ahead of the Mammoths in the standings and back in contention for a playoff spot but in order for the Panthers to make that happen they will need their bats to get going much much earlier.

Colby’s Infield

Lack of production is the nice way of describing Colby’s infield this weekend against Bates. As a group they went a combined 6-43 (.140 BA), left 11 runners on base, grounded into 3 double plays and got caught stealing on 2 of 3 attempts. An argument could be made that as a group they did more harm than good offensively. In the NESCAC a successful team needs to find production up and down the lineup and that was certainly not the case for the Mules in their NESCAC opener. Without a 10-30 (.333 BA) effort from Colby’s outfield the series could have been even uglier than it already was. The contrast between the Mules’ infield and outfield certainly explains why they’re currently last in the CAC with 1 ⅔ runs scored per conference game. The upsides for the Mules are two-fold; the fact that they were able to steal an away win in their final game against Bates could provide some momentum rolling into next weekend’s contest against a Trinity squad who currently leads the Eastern Division. Secondly, Senior Captain Matt Treveloni still paces the team with a .442 BA (2nd in the NESCAC), .674 SLG (3rd), 1.163 OPS (4th) and 2 3B (3rd). While Treveloni makes a strong case for First Team, as of now it still seems as if Colby won’t realize the dream of reaching their 1st ever NESCAC playoffs.