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| If Endicott makes the DIII College World Series, they will be the first team to make four consecutive appearances since Chapman reached the final eight for five consecutive (2005-2009). d3photography photo by Ryan Coleman |
By Jim Dixon, D3sports.com
No team in DIII baseball has played at a consistent high level than Endicott in the last four years. Three straight World Series appearances, four straight 40+ wins season for a DIII baseball best 177-29 record over the same period. The Gulls are not just sitting back but you can see the coach staff picking up ideas how to improve his team in every game they play. Expect another banner year for Endicott. If you look past Endicott, the next best teams in the region comes from the Little East Conference.
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| Endy Morales made a move to inside the Boston beltway as he left Dean College after two seasons for Curry College Dean athletics photo |
Eastern Connecticut State is always a safe bet to finish at the top of the conference and they have a Keene State program that has finally found their legs with a title run, their first in a long time. Look for a dog fight in the Little East with a half dozen teams in position to find magic in their season. The final Region 2 conference is the MASCAC and this is Bridgewater State's to win. The last time we saw a MASCAC team in the World Series was 1997 and it was the Bears who was making a second consecutive appearance.
New Faces
Tony Deshler, Castleton: Castleton has found new leadership, as they announced the hiring of Tony Deshler as head coach. Deshler begins his head coaching career with the Spartans after spending the past three seasons as assistant coach at Salve Regina, where he served as the team's defensive coordinator. Deshler was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Bates coaching staff from 2016 to 2022. Prior to his time at Bates, Deshler was hired as the first assistant baseball coach at Elmira in 2014 where he helped build its inaugural roster in his role as recruiting coordinator. Deshler began his collegiate coaching career in 2012 at MIT, helping the program capture its first-ever NEWMAC title and qualify for back-to-back NCAA Regionals. "I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to lead the Castleton Baseball program into the future," said head coach Deshler.
Colby Greenhalgh, Johnson and Wales: JWU announced the hiring of Greenhalgh as head coach last fall. He replaces Kevin Casey, who stepped down this past summer after accepting a position on the coaching staff at Northeastern University. Greenhalgh, who spent two seasons as an assistant under Casey at JWU, was also a member of the coaching staff at Conference of New England foe Nichols College this past spring. The Plainfield, Connecticut native worked with the hitters, outfielders, and catchers, and the Bison closed 2025 with a team batting average of .311 and 26 wins. "This was always the long-term goal, to one day take over this program as the head coach, said Greenhalgh. "As an alum, it means so much to me to take over a program that helped me get to where I am now. I am excited to bring more alumni back to campus and take this program to new heights."
Endy Morales, Curry: Curry announced In July the hiring of Endy Morales as the new baseball head coach. Morales comes to Curry after spending the past two years at Dean as the head coach and Athletic Facilities Manager. While there he helped lead the Bulldogs to their most wins in a season since 2017. "I am humbled and honored to be named the next head coach for Curry College Baseball," said Morales. "I will work tirelessly to bring my visions and goals for this program to fruition. My journey thus far has been a tremendous learning experience and I am confident I will pour my heart and energy into this program, institution and community. As the hiring process furthered, my interest grew immensely and I am thankful to be a part of the Curry Community that will offer endless support and align with my passion to build relationships."
Matt Antonelli, Gordon: Antonelli has been named the next head coach for the Fighting Scots this summer. He played collegiately at Wake Forest where he was named an All-American in 2006. After a standout junior season, Antonelli was drafted in the First Round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. On September 1, 2008, the first rounder made his Major League debut and played eight seasons for the Padres, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians. After his playing career ended, Antonelli returned to his alma mater of Wake Forest as a student-assistant coach. A year later, Antonelli was hired as an assistant coach at Holy Cross where he continued to make immediate impacts on player development with the hitters and infielders as well as coordinate multiple aspects of the recruiting process. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Gordon College Baseball program," said Antonelli. "Gordon has a strong tradition of developing student-athletes both on and off the field, and I'm excited to build on that foundation. I am committed to creating a competitive and disciplined program that emphasizes integrity, teamwork, and accountability while focusing on player development and competitive excellence."
Key Games
Keene State at Cal Lutheran on March 6th - Keene State will get two early tests on the road as they visit Methodist in February and then Cal Lutheran on March 6th with a doubleheader the next day. Wins at both Fayetteville and Thousand Oaks will give Keene State an idea which direction the season will go.
Roger Williams at Johnson and Wales, March 24th - The Wildcat's first game in the CNE will be with a contender for a top spot in the standings. A tough non-conference schedule should get Johnson and Wales ready for their conference slate. Roger Williams will still be just starting their season and this is an early test to see where in the conference one can expect them to finish.
Mass-Maritime at Bridgewater State, March 31st - This is the first games between the top three teams in the MASCAC. Mass-Maritime will play Westfield State in about a month with the Owls facing the Bears four days later.
Eastern Connecticut State at Mass-Boston, April 25th - Eastern Connecticut State and Mass-Boston are the top contenders to 2025 champion Keene State and the results of a conference doubleheader will likely set the seeding at the top of the LEC standings.
Conference Previews
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| There are a lot of things new at Johnson and Wales (R.I.) than the new freshmen. The Wildcats' hed coach is new this year and they are playing in the CNE for the first time. Johnson and Wales athletics photo by Denise DelPiero |
Conference of New England: Endicott (16-0, 45-6) rolled through the 2025 season and is poised to do the same in 2026. Head coach Bryan Haley won many coaching honors and saw his top assistant coach Alex Loparco win the ABCA National Division III Assistant Coach of the Year award. The awards kept coming and it seemed like every starter earned an All-Conference nod. The Gulls were the envy of most teams with a superb senior class that propelled the team into three consecutive World Series appearance. Some of the best players are graduated or tranferred but plenty are back including a pitching staff that will be headed by Evan Scully (10-0, 2.17 ERA, 49K). Brady Stuart (3-0, 3 Saves. 2.80 ERA, 38K) and Kyan Bagshaw (1-0, 7.42 ERA, 20K) will be in the bullpen with ability to start a game when called upon. On the offensive side the team is stacked with designated hitter Kyle Grabowski (.336, 5 HR, 46 RBI), second baseman AJ Hamm (.356, 41 RBI) and shortstop TJ Liponis (.293, 41 RBI) all returning. It is not all positive news as the entire outfield will cast their lot with D1 teams for their final year of eligibility after graduation from Endicott. With the Gulls a favorite to win the CNE, the same can be said of a Regional and Super Regional. If Endicott can get to the DIII World Series, they will be the first team to make four straight since UW-Oshkosh did it thirty years ago.
Johnson and Wales (14-2, 28-15) moves to the CNE after making the NCAA Regionals by winning the GNAC bid four times in the last five years. The task for the Wildcats just got harder with a dominate Endicott team at the top of the conference. Add that they saw a chunk of their team graduate and you have a team that will find it hard to end at the top of the standings. What's cooking in Providence is the return of three key hitters in Jeff Valdez Jimenez (.310, 42 RBI), Ryan St. Jean (.243, 19 RBI) and Zachary Amero (.298, 22 RBI). The pitching staff in 2025 was Aiden Vining, Brett Nickerson (7-2, 3.94 ERA, 51K) and whoever was fresh in the bullpen. Vining, the 2025 CNE Pitcher of the Year is gone, leaving Nickerson as the staff ace. Like the offensive lineup, pitching will need to see some help from the incoming recruiting class to keep JWU near the top of the standings.
Nichols (11-5, 26-18), Hartford (9-7, 20-22) and Western New England (10-8, 22-20) placed at the top of the CNE standings with Nichols having the best run in the end of the season tournament. Western New England will be returning a young core that will benefit from a handful of freshmen who will make an impact. A slwe of players made the conference All-Star team with only Ryan Montini (.325, 33 RBI) back on the 2026 roster. Therefore the Golden Bears will need immediate help from incoming players like transfers infielder Michael Desroches (Curry: .250) and starting pitcher Sullivan Quirk (Gordon: 2-1, 3.18 ERA, 20K). Both Nichols and Hartford had seven players make the end of the season All-Star squad. Hartford has six players on the list coming back. Tops is JJ Romatzick (.385, 36 RBI, 11SB) who as the teams's shortstop has the potential to be the best player in the conference. For the pitching, reigning Rookie of the Year Ryan Sheehy bolted for a D1 program. Anthony Bubba (5-1, 3.34 ERA, 46K) will be joined with Joe Dooley who is coming back from an injury last year with team Captain Michael Featherstone (2-3, 3 Saves, 5.06 ERA, 24K) waiting to close games. Hartford is betting that their veteran team with a solid buy-in will be motivated and ready for the regional and national challenges of the 2026 season. Nichols had more losses to graduation with three offensive stalwarts finding a spot in the 2026 lineup - Julian Galvan (.361, 25 RBI), Liam Flynn (.348. 8 HR, 44 RBI) and Anthony Hackert (.319, 23 RBI, 14 SB).
Suffolk (7-9, 14-25) and Roger Williams (6-10, 16-23) rounded out the CNE tournament field in 2025. Suffolk made an early exit where Roger Williams made the semi-finals. Roger Williams' strength this season is pitching as they have three All-CNE pitchers returning this year in starter Jonathan Quinn (4-2, 2.76 ERA, 59K), closer Ryan Camp (3-1, 3 Saves, 2.13 ERA, 26K) and reliever Charles Ennis (2-0, 4.03 ERA, 12K). Suffolk is entering 2026 with a youth movement with just four upperclassmen in key positions. One base covered is the closer as relief specialist Jack Raimo (3-3, 4 Saves, 4.50 ERA, 11K) is back. For the offense, Sam Armbruster (.261, 24 RBI) will be patrolling the slot as the starting shortstop. Gordon (6-10, 15-24), Wentworth (5-11, 15-22) and Curry (4-12, 8-25) all finished in the conference basement and only Wentworth had a returning All-CNE player in first baseman Nick Cullinan (.340, 17 RBI), Wentworth.
Predicted Champion: Endicott
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| Senior Keene State pitcher Jake Jachym has been a full time starter for three years but has made six relief apperances with a save for the Owls. Keene State athletics photo |
Little East Conference: Keene State (13-3, 25-17) showed they were back with a top finish in both the regular season and the Little East tournament. The Owls' squad not include the Player of the Year, Tommy Ahlers as he opted for a Di program in 2026. Pitcher of the Year, Jake Jachym (6-2, 3.57 ERA, 32K) will stay for his senior year. David Floyd (5-2, 1 Save, 3.50 ERA) and Camden Thomas (5-3, 2.96 ERA, 54K) are also back and the pitching trio accounted for 16 of Keene State's 25 wins. Head coach Justin Blood also has a big part of his offense with four All-LEC players along with Ahlers swinging bats this coming season. With a large junior class in 2025, they are now seniors in 2026 and time to win is now.
Mass-Boston (12-4, 25-17) finished second in the standings last season and has been a model of consistency with similar win totals the last few years. The problem is the wins are 10 less per season to the time before the COVID year. Another problem is that a number of All-Conference players graduated leaving many holes to fill this season. A pair of third team All-LEC players, Nick Farnacci (.271, 21 RBI, 20 SB) and Justin Gouveia (.307, 21 RBI, 15 SB) are back in the lineup along with shortstop Elliot Miles (.312, 44 RBI, 13 SB) this season. On the mound, the top pitchers are gone, leaving 2025 Rookie of the Year, Jonny Pagano (3-3, 5.71 ERA, 36K) the default ace of the staff. To fill the void, Mass-Boston is leaning on transfers to bolster the staff. The Beacons might not match Keene State but they could match the teams that finished below them and finish just shy of the top spot in 2026.
Eastern Connecticut State (12-4, 30-13) proved again they are a force to be dealt with. A mid tournament loss forced them into a series of must wins but fell a couple runs short in the conference final. Mostly, the team will be younger than 2025 with several losses due to graduation. The Warriors bring a talented squad into 2026 with a veteran leader and captain at catcher, Hank Penders (.354. 37 RBI). He is joined with Ian Mosser (.314, 31 RBI) and JT Clark (.274, 30 RBI). The starting pitching rotation will be new this year and partially filled from a large incoming class of transfer students and true freshmen.
Southern Maine (11-5, 20-19), Mass-Dartmouth (8-8, 16-21) and Rhode Island College (8-8, 17-23) all finished out the 2025 tournament field. The Corsairs return key players plus a strong recruiting class to give Mass-Dartmouth a solid baseline for operations. their top player from 2025 returning is reliever Geordan Jackson Murphy (1-3, 2 Saves, 4.79 ERA, 30K) and he will be joined on the pitching staff with All-American Adam Maher (2024 stats: 6-3, 3.45 ERA, 84K) returning from an injury. It will be tough to separate from Southern Maine and Rhode Island College. RIC has a couple pieces back including defensive specialist Parker Camelo (.327, 24 RBI, .970 FLD%) who secured a Defensive All-Region spot at second base and an All-LEC nod. Joining him in the everyday line up will be first baseman Daniel Trzepacz (.362, 31 RBI). Southern Maine has the best potential to move up the standings. They have a star in first baseman Kyle Douin (.372, 7 HR, 40 RBI) who will be paired with Peter Keblinsky (.318, 49 RBI) and Mike Anquillare (.320, 29 RBI). Colin McDonald will head the pitching staff for the Huskies.
Castleton (4-12, 13-25), Plymouth State (3-13, 6-22) and Western Connecticut (1-15, 9-26) had conference and overall records underwater and were sunk in 2025. A top recruiting class will be required for any of these three to make noise in 2026. Castleton had their lone All-LEC player off the 2026 roster with only Plymouth State keeping multiple All-Little East players in Josh Worthington (.340, 11 RBI) and Danny Quinn (.337, 14 RBI). Ryan Vallie (.322, 15 RBI) returns for WestConn as they embark on a rebuilding year.
Predicted Champion: Keene State
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| Brisgewater State's Ryan Flaherty broke the program record for home runs in a season on May 10th at a game with Mass-Maritime in the MASCAC tournament. Bridgewater State athletics photo |
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference: For years our request for information about Bridgewater State (17-4, 30-15) said "nothing expected for the season". That was so last decade. The Bears have secured a playoff spot for each of the last four years so we are accustom to expecting a lot from Bridgewater State. This year, it will be tougher than other years as graduation has taken a big chunk of the top hitters. One player back is Ryan Flaherty (.296, 17 HR, 64 RBI). Flaherty already holds the record for most home runs and RBIs in a season and is just six from tying John Kiely for the career mark in home runs. One of two pitchers with the most starts will return as Trey Yesu (5-4, 4.30 ERA, 50K) was also the team leader in wins. Good news for Bridgewater State is that big graduation classes are a theme with all the top teams in the MASCAC.
Westfield State (13-8, 26-12) lost a ton in the starting lineup, including the entire starting infield, and will have some younger guys step into larger roles. Alex Martin (.337, 16 RBI), Sam Palmer (.333, 42 RBI, 15 SB) and Chase Racine (.325, 34 RBI) will be back in the middle of the lineup. Pitching will be solid with Sean McNamara (5-1, 5.51 ERA, 74K) and Jack Novak (4-1, 3.63 ERA, 31K) toeing the rubber. If the 18 member incoming class has pieces that fit into head coach Seth Kaplan's scheme, the league will have to give a hoot about Westfield State.
Like Westfield State, Massachusetts Maritime (13-8, 24-19) lost a lot to graduation as 16 players received their diplomas last spring. It is not all bad news because key defensive positions will be filled by veterans in catcher Colsen Loughren (.358, 40 RBI) and shortstop Mike LoGiudice (.290, 36 RBI). On the mound the rotation will include Chase Dwight (0-4, 6.50 ERA, 13K), Sean Hallissey (0-1, 1 Save, 4.86 ERA, 36K), Ben Zschau (1-2, 5.97 ERA, 26K) topping the starting rotation.
Worcester State (12-9, 23-14), Salem State (12-9, 19-18) and Fitchburg State (7-14, 13-21) rounded out the teams invited to the conference tournament with Salem State surviving the longest with two losses to the eventual champion Bridgewater State. Salem State will return Owen Duggan (.375, 28 RBI), a senior outfielder to lead the Vikings. If they have designs on a top finish, they will need to pitch better than the 6.94 ERA in 2025. Christopher Mondesir (.374, 37 RBI) was one of three freshmen for Worcester State who batted above .340 in 2025. On the pitching side, three returning pitchers tied for second in wins with Steven Thomas (3-0, 2.95 ERA, 11K) and Gavin Price (3-6, 5.32 ERA, 57K) having the most success. Fitchburg will return a single All-MASCAC player in Joseph Abt (.411, 39 RBI).
If MASCAC newcomer Anna Maria (7-9, 18-21) was in the conference in 2025, they might have bumped Fitchburg State from the tournament field. The Anna Maria coaching staff is expecting to be strong on the mound with a scrappy lineup. the AMCATS'a ace Owen Sullivan (4-3, 3.72 ERA, 78K) is poised for a monster year coming off a successful sophomore campaign. He will be backed by Jesse Buonocore (2-2, 3 Saves, 6.27 ERA, 38K) and Francesco De Vivo (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 14K) who showed promise in their freshman season. Framingham State (8-13, 14-28) and Massachusetts College (2-19, 5-30) finished at the tail end of the standings. The best player returning from these teams is Massimo Mondi (.368, 20 RBI).
Predicted Champion: Bridgewater State
University Athletic Association: Brandeis (3-17, 12-28) finished last among the six team conference and was the only team with a losing final record below. Additionally, they were the only UAA team that did not merit a player on the All-UAA teams. In the early games this season, the offense will need to lead the team to wins as the Judges lost pitchers who accounted for 24 of their 40 stats in 2025. It is not all gloom in Waltham as the 2025 roster were filled with underclassmen and if improvements are not seen in 2026, they will in 2027. Unfortunately we do not see Brandeis making their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2003 this season.