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| Wheaton (Mass.) has key pieces from a team that finished 1-2 in the D-III College World Series and finished 6th in the final 2021 Top 25. d3photography.com photo by Larry Radloff |
By Joshua Kummins for d3baseball.com
The new look of the Division 3 landscape certainly changes things in New England, as one of the nation’s most robust regions has been split into two. Region 1 includes the GNAC, NESCAC, NEWMAC and NAC. It spans throughout all six New England states and includes a handful of New York schools with NESCAC member Hamilton and the recent addition of the NAC’s West Division within the last few years.
Two of the four New England clubs entering 2022 with national rankings next to their names will be a part of Region 1, but only Wheaton (Mass.) was able to advance to the College World Series a year ago. The Lyons topped an always competitive NEWMAC race with a tournament title over Babson and outlasted the NESCAC’s national tournament representative, Tufts, which was just one game away from joining the party in Cedar Rapids last May.
New Faces
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| Paul Svagdis has returned to his roots moving across country to become the new head coach at Tufts.. Azuza Pacific athletics photo photo |
Paul Svagdis, Tufts: Svagdis is a 1993 Tufts graduate who was a two-year team captain for predecessor John Casey’s Jumbos and had been the head coach at Azusa Pacific University since 2002. He amassed a record 606 wins and produced 16 All Americans, 14 Academic All-Americans and eight conference Players of the Year at Azusa Pacific. Svagdis landed his first head job at Pomona College.
Key Games
Wheaton (Mass.) spring trip: The Lyons will get to Florida on March 11-19th and have one of the toughest draws. Every one of the eight teams they are playing have a good chance of not only winning their conference but an NCAA Regional as well. The week starts with Texas-Dallas and ends with Webster. Any record above .500 will be a success for Wheaton.
Johnson and Wales at Anna Maria: This GNAC doubleheader on April 2nd, will be key in determining who will wi the GNAC crown. If the teams split, it opens the door for a third challenger for the GNAC title.
Thomas at Husson: Husson welcomes Thomas on April 19th for the first of two NAC doubleheaders. If either team sweeps on this two-game set, it will put pressure on the other when they meet on the Thomas campus.
Trinity (Conn.) at Tufts: Trinity (Conn.) will play Amherst and Tufts on back-to-back weekends. On April 23rd, the Bantams would have finished playing both in their home ball parks. From these two three-game series everyone will know which of the the team to beat when the NESCAC tournament is played.
Conference Previews
Great Northeast Athletic Conference: Anna Maria (18-10) expects to compete for the GNAC championship again after winning its first regular-season title last spring. The AMCATS will be led by reigning GNAC Player of the Year Kosta Drosidis (.391, 9 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 35 R) at shortstop and fellow All-New England player James Powers (.453, 11 2B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 32 R) in the middle of a lineup that includes seven returning starters. Nick Genatossio (.346, 4 HR, 24 RBI) was also named to the top All-GNAC squad as a designated hitter. The pitching staff returns all but two members and is headlined by 2019 GNAC Pitcher of the Year Jack Marzec (4-3, 1 SV, 49 K), who has eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark in his career, and Liam Cunningham (3-2, 2 SV, 3.18 ERA, 36 K).
For the first time since 1998, the tournament crown went to a senior-laden Johnson & Wales (14-16) team. Infielder Jack Magane (.262, 5 RBI, 14 R, 6 SB) enjoyed an outstanding freshman year that earned him All-GNAC second-team honors in what was a veteran lineup for GNAC Coach of the Year Kevin Casey’s Wildcats. Saint Joseph’s (Maine) (16-11) looks to remain in the thick of the conference race and come through with its eighth championship with key returnees like top utility player Luke Stephens (.294, 13 RBI, 18 R; 3-0, 1.47 ERA, 19 K) and catcher Jackson Stanton (.302, 2 HR, 9 RBI) at the helm. Outfielder Ben Gravel (.365, 19 RBI) and infielder Drew Healey (.256, 12 RBI) are graduate students for a sixth year.
Lasell (18-19) looks to make a climb up the standings and has a great place to start with sophomore Derek Lallo (3-2, 5.45 ERA, 22 K) back as one of the league’s top returning pitchers. The Lasers will look to Ross Audet (.309, 15 RBI, 8 SB) as a key offensive contributor. Albertus Magnus (5-14) returns another one of the league’s most experienced players in three-time All-GNAC infielder Matt Warren (.419, 8 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI), a sixth-year graduate student.
Elms (10-14) is set to make its GNAC debut after finishing third in the NECC standings and eventually falling to Mitchell in the conference championship round last season. First baseman Tyler Galenski (.400, 5 2B, 12 RBI, 8 R) was a second-team All-NECC performer for the Blazers in only his sophomore year.
Norwich (6-3), Dean (4-4) and Rivier (0-10) all had their 2021 seasons cut short due to COVID-19. Norwich were off to a strong start that included four conference wins. Sophomore lefty Matt Ingraffia (1-2, 1 SV, 3.77 ERA, 23 K) and junior utility man PJ Morales (.310, 8 RBI; 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 4 K) were All-GNAC third-team picks for the Cadets.
FAVORITE: Anna Maria
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| Amherst won the Little Three Championship title in 2021. It is the program's third outright Little Three crown in the last four seasons and 37th overall since 1910. The Little Three tile is an informal competition between Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams. Amherst athletics photo by Melissa Martin |
New England Small College Athletic Conference: Amherst (10-3) returns from its fifth-ever championship season with 2021 NESCAC Player of the Year Daniel Qin (.404, 6 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R) returning at second base and Rookie of the Year Nick Giattino (4-0, 2.12 ERA, 34 K) on the mound. Both were also All-New England players. Sophomore first baseman Luke Padian (.302, 12 RBI) was also a leading hitter for the Mammoths, who won the West Division by a game in the shortened 2021 campaign.
With Amherst unable to represent the conference in NCAAs, East Division champion Tufts (15-8) got the call and played until the final game of the New York Regional before falling short to SUNY Cortland. Paul Svagdis has taken over for legendary head coach John Casey and inherits a roster that includes eight position players who started 10 or more games and four pitchers who made at least three starts last year. The Jumbos boast All-American catcher Clay Sowell (.404, 7 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 25 RBI), NESCAC Pitcher of the Year Michael Volgende (4-2, 3.86 ERA, 34 K), fellow All-New England arm Brendan McFall (3-1, 1.19 ERA, 22 K), and two more All-NESCAC first-teamers in senior first baseman Peter DeMaria (.370, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 24 R) and outfielder Miles Reid (.325, 7 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 29 R).
Even with repeat All-NESCAC catcher Alex Rodriguez and starting pitcher Alex Shafer having graduated, Trinity (Conn.) (11-5) has two returning honorees in sophomore first baseman Sean Meth (.379, 7 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 12 R) and shortstop Jack Matthews (.364, 3 RBI, 13 R, 11 SB). The Bantams also welcome back seniors Jimmy Fahey (2-2, 4.50 ERA, 14 K) and Cameron Crowley (0-1, 4.29 ERA, 18 K) as key arms. East Division rival Colby (12-10) is coming off of an improved season during which junior utility player Cabot Maher (.406, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 16 R; 2-0, 1.54 ERA, 20 K) and sophomore outfielder Brady O’Brien (.368, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 17 R) were All-NESCAC honorees. Patrick McConnell (.344, 10 RBI, 15 R; 0-1, 2.25 ERA) also had an outstanding start to his Mules career as a freshman.
After finishing second on the West side, Williams (7-6) has two of the NESCAC’s key players back in the fold including two-time All-NESCAC infielder Eric Pappas (.283, 4 RBI, 14 R) at shortstop and junior Jakob Cohn (.435, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 19 R) at first base. Junior Sean Hogan (3-1, 5.84 ERA, 38 K) and sophomore Nick Skiera (1-3, 5.57 ERA, 22 K) will both be back for a full season in the Ephs’ rotation. Hamilton (5-7) is young but doesn’t lack talent with many key returnees from 2021. Junior outfielder Phil Bernstein (.409, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 12 R, 6 SB) and shortstop Ethan Harrast (.263, 3 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI) were All-NESCAC, while outfielder Brady Slinger (.415, 3 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI, 10 R) and pitcher Gavin Schaefer-Hood (3-2, 3.60 ERA, 27 K) are back to provide crucial experience as members of the Continentals’ senior class.
Wesleyan (5-7) will look for another strong year out of Jack Nally (.326, 6 RBI, 8 R), an outfielder who became just the second All-NESCAC freshman in program history last spring. Bates (1-7) and Middlebury (2-6) will look to rise within their respective divisions after playing the fewest number of games among the NESCAC clubs in 2021. The latter club also received significant contributions from a pair of first-year players as infielder Andrew Ashley (.333, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SB) and outfielder Sammy Smith (.292, 2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R) were second-team performers for the Panthers.
FAVORITE: Tufts
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| Babson assistant baseball coach Bruce Ginsberg earned the 2021 recipient of the NEIBA Kevin Burr Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Babson athletics photo |
New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference: Although it looked up in the standings following a shortened regular season, Wheaton (Mass.) (21-7) won big when it mattered most and played all the way to the program’s fourth College World Series appearance since 2006. The Lyons have all the makings of being a regional contender once again, beginning with reigning NEWMAC Player of the Year Jacob Studley (.430, 14 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 28 R) in the outfield as well as the starting pitching duo of Griffin Young (5-0, 2.10 ERA, 62 K) and Gavin Reily (6-3, 2.23 ERA, 46 K). Catcher Zach DeMattio (.327, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 31 R) is another returning All-NEWMAC senior in the lineup for coach Eric Podbelski, who enters the 2022 season with 697 career wins. Stephen Quigley (.308, 14 RBI; 1-1, 1.59 ERA, 14 K) is one of New England’s top two-way talents.
New faces will be in the fold for Babson (13-4), which lost New England Pitcher of the Year and All-American Jordy Allard (Northeastern grad transfer), All-New England reliever Henry Leake (Boston College grad transfer), and All-NEWMAC first baseman Matthew Valente (graduation). NEWMAC Rookie of the Year Francis Kiely (.255, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 14 R) will be back behind the plate and joins the likes of senior first baseman Josh Yellen (.313, 10 RBI, 12 R), second baseman Thomas Lapham (.310, 14 RBI, 11 R) and outfielder Sean Burychka (.228, 7 RBI, 13 R). Junior shortstop Jack Pirkl (.327, 12 RBI, 11 R) was the team’s best hitter in 2021. The Beavers will need some pitchers to step up after losing their top arms. Senior Riley Teevens (2-1, 3.46 ERA) is the top veteran arm, while Truman Devitt (2-3, 3.00 ERA, 30 K at Muhlenberg) will be a key transfer.
MIT is excited to return to the diamond after having its entire 2021 season canceled and playing just three games in 2020. The Engineers will rely heavily upon their two latest recruiting classes, but pitcher Casey Bussone (4-3, 3.13 ERA, 73 K in 2019) and shortstop Cory O’Shea (.214, 8 2B, 3 3B, 22 RBI, 11 SB in 2019) return as unquestioned leaders who helped the team to the NEWMAC championship during their last full season. Jonah Scott (19 K, 21.1 IP) also returns to the pitching staff. Outfielders Teddy Schoenfeld, Erik Anderson and designated hitter/pitcher Graham Cartwright were slated to take on regular roles in 2020.
Coast Guard (3-7) is young and athletic under second-year coach Brian Casey. The Bears return center fielder Blake Carroll (.356, 3 HR, 12 RBI) following an All-NEWMAC sophomore year. Senior second baseman Nate Nam and junior catcher/outfielder Justin Stasiak were also strong, hitting .300 in limited time last season. Pitching will be the team’s biggest question as projected starters like John Thigpen and Dan Wolf were in the bullpen previously.
Leading a strong returning cast for WPI (6-8) is All-New England junior second baseman Jeffrey Brennan (.381, 1 HR, 10 RBI), senior pitcher/first baseman Dylan Connors (.350, 5 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI; 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 8 K) and junior pitcher Everett Wonson (0-0, 2.73 ERA, 18 K). Overall, the Engineers return six position players and all of their starts on the mound last season. Wonson was the top arm, pitching in five games. Center fielder DJ Brooks (.225, 1 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI) is back after making an impact as a freshman.
Springfield (3-7) will benefit from the return of outfielder Jack Cooney (.250, 8 RBI) -- a career .345 hitter with 42 stolen bases -- among several graduate students. Clark (5-9) looks to fill in the gaps from a senior-laden team, but sophomore infielder Billy Sullivan (.342, 10 RBI, 5 SB) was the second-leading hitter and senior two-way player Chris Radovic hit two home runs and pitched 5.1 scoreless innings for the Cougars. Emerson (1-9) returns its best player from a season ago in junior shortstop Thai Morgan (.333, 3 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI).
FAVORITE: Wheaton (Mass.)
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| NAC Pitcher of the Year Dylan Copeland in 9-6 with a 3.94 ERA in three year in a Terrier's uniform. Thomas athletics photo |
North Atlantic Conference: Husson (22-9) has won both East Division championships since the conference split for the 2019 season, and returning NAC Coach of the Year Chris Morris has a mixture of veterans and newcomers looking to help the Eagles defend their first overall playoff title since 2013. Shortstop Kobe Rogerson (.326, 14 RBI) and second baseman Akira Warren (.358, 13 RBI) form a strong infield combination and will anchor the lineup, while first baseman Jackson Curtis (.310, 10 2B, 3 HR, 30 RBI) had a powerful freshman year matching the conference lead in RBI. Cam Graham (5-1, 1.44 ERA, 32 K) assumed a lead pitching role.
Thomas (12-12) welcomes back NAC Pitcher of the Year Dylan Copeland (4-1, 2.31 ERA, 22 K) for a grad year, but that is just one piece of what coach Greg King called the most talented Terriers roster in years. Outfielder Kyle Gleason (.466, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 24 R) and catcher Aaron Young (.342, 5 HR, 22 RBI) were also All-NAC first-team picks as underclassmen and two of the team’s five .300 hitters in 2021. First baseman Ryan Kappelman (.284, 28 RBI) also returns.
Despite boasting a younger roster and losing NAC Player of the Year Codi Smith in the outfield, Northern Vermont-Lyndon (11-11) is a deeper team in 2022 with the arrival of 22 newcomers. Sophomore designated hitter/first baseman Jordan Cane (.429, 5 HR, 27 RBI) and senior shortstop TJ Santaw (.408, 14 RBI) are the top returnees for the Hornets. Maine-Farmington (6-16) and Maine-Presque Isle (1-17) round out the East side of the league. The Beavers return All-NAC outfielder Riley Bartell (.423, 6 HR, 25 RBI) for his senior year.
West Division champion SUNY Cobleskill (15-9) returns seven position players and all three conference pitchers from the team that challenged Husson. Southpaw Devin Lewis (5-1, 3.00 ERA, 36 K) will be key once again after his 2021 resume included a win over perennial power SUNY Cortland. Stephen Tejada (.400, 5 2B, 8 RBI, 16 R; 2-1, 3.96, 23 K) was an outstanding two-way player, seeing time at second base and starting on the mound as a rookie. The Fighting Tigers also include another All-NAC arm in senior Jarrod Williams (2-2, 2.74 ERA, 23 K).
A young, talented core will lead the way for SUNY Poly (9-12), but the Wildcats look to build around sophomore second baseman Chris Ling (.388, 13 RBI, 17 R) who returns from the team that played Cobleskill in the NAC Divisional Series last year. Senior designated hitter Jake Montrose (.328, 12 RBI) is also expected to be a leader at the plate while junior Carter Romansky anchors the pitchers. SUNY Canton (9-14) brings back All-NAC first-team first baseman Zach Miner (.400, 8 2B, 7 RBI, 20 R, 8 SB) and key starting pitcher Kieran Gibson (2-1, 5.16 ERA). Cazenovia (9-21) will also be looking to improve in the West as second-team shortstop Parker Wing (.345, 20 RBI, 23 R) returns.
FAVORITE: Husson