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| Andrew Richards took his Andrew Richards-ness to new heights this season, pitching in 31 of USM's 44 games. Southern Maine athletics photo |
Follow this regional |
By Tristan Hobbes
for D3sports.com
The No. 1 seed in this year’s New England Regional will try to become the first team to win three in a row since Eastern Connecticut from 2002-04. It won’t be easy for the Southern Maine Huskies as this year’s eight-team field is full of quality teams.
Second-seeded Wesleyan is fresh off its second consecutive NESCAC title and is looking to take the final step after falling in the Mid-Atlantic championship game a year ago. Third-seeded Ramapo brings an out-of-region flair to the Cape, while Wednesday’s opening game between fourth-seeded Salem State and fifth-seeded MIT could be the best of the tournament. Castleton State, Curry and Suffolk all have upset dreams on their minds as the latter two did it in their conference tournament, keeping the regular season champions Endicott and St. Joseph's (Maine) out of the playoffs.
Harwich Regional schedule
Wednesday, May 13
Game 1: No. 4 Salem State (25-13) vs. No. 5 MIT (25-12), 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Southern Maine (31-13) vs. No. 8 Suffolk (18-24), 1:15 p.m.
Game 3: No. 3 Ramapo (28-14) vs. No. 6 Castleton State (31-10), 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Wesleyan (28-9) vs. No. 7 Curry (23-13), 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, May 14
Game 5: MIT vs. Suffolk, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Castleton State vs. Wesleyan, 1:15 p.m.
Game 7: Salem State vs. Southern Maine, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: Ramapo vs. Curry, 7:45 p.m.
Meet the teams |
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Friday, May 15
Game 9: Wesleyan vs. Southern Maine, 10 a.m.
Game 10: Curry vs. MIT, 1:15 p.m.
Game 11: Salem State vs. Ramapo, 4:30 p.m.
Game 12: MIT vs. Wesleyan, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 16
Game 13: Salem State vs. MIT, 12 p.m.
Game 14: Ramapo vs. MIT, 4 p.m.
Favorite
The top team in New England entering the season goes into the NCAA tournament as the top team. Southern Maine did what it needed to do this season to put themselves back in contention for a regional title and the Huskies are the favorite this weekend in Harwich. Sam Dexter is arguably the best player in the tournament and if you need an X-factor, it's senior Andrew Richards who will presumably make his 100th career pitching appearance in this tournament.
Cinderella
Will MIT and its high-powered offense take this regional by storm? They just might. The Engineers rank in the top 10 in the country in doubles per game, home runs per game and are 26th in the country in slugging percentage. Add in a pitching staff that features three outstanding arms and the Engineers could be primed for a run.
Most likely to disappoint
Wesleyan is in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year and has its eyes set on Appleton. Anything short of that will be a disappointment. Wesleyan has enjoyed a remarkable season but unless they hoist the regional trophy at the end they won’t be happy.
Players to Watch
C Nick Crivello, Curry (.343, 10 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 16 R)
1B Paul McDonough, Southern Maine (.348, 22 2B, 4 HR, 43 RBI, 41 R)
2B Richard Fecteau, Salem State (.371, 18 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 26 R)
2B Joe Venturino, Ramapo (.399, 17 2B, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 45 R, 12 SB)
SS Sam Dexter, Southern Maine (.460, 21 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 57 R)
SS Parker Tew, MIT (.422, 24 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 40 R)
3B Austin Filiere, MIT (.443, 13 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 64 R, 34 BB)
OF Brady Chant, Suffolk (.292, 7 2B, 1 3B, 14 RBI, 20 R, 8 SB)
OF Dan Errico, Castleton (.345, 8 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 28 R)
OF Donnie Cimino, Wesleyan (.356, 9 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, 11 SB)
OF Hayden Cornwell, MIT (.329, 14 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 24 R)
DH Nick Swim, Castleton (.412, 16 2B, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R)
SP Frank Tierney, Suffolk (5-0, 2.54 ERA, 39 IP, 23 H, 15 BB, 34 SO)
SP David Griffin, Curry (6-1, 1.86 ERA, 53.1 IP, 40 H, 17 BB, 42 SO)
SP Walker Larson, Ramapo (9-2, 2.06 ERA, 96.1 IP, 79 H, 20 BB, 77 SO)
SP Gavin Pittore, Wesleyan (7-2, 1.69 ERA, 64.0 IP, 42 H, 16 BB, 57 SO)
RP Andrew Richards, Southern Maine (31 APP, 11-4, 9 SV, 1.62 ERA, 105.1 IP, 18 BB, 97 SO)
RP Sam Elias, Wesleyan (15 APP, 7-1, 4 SV, 1.53 ERA, 70.2 IP, 51 H, 12 BB, 60 SO)