In NESCAC baseball, there's Trinity, and then there's everyone else. The Bantams haven't lost a conference matchup since 2007, when Tufts beat them in the final regular season game to claim first place. Since then, the Bantams not only won two conference championships but added a NCAA championship in 2008 as well. The Bantams rank No. 4 in the nation, and the challenge of every other NESCAC team will be to try to usurp them. In preparation for this year's slate, the Daily goes around the league, taking a look at each team's prospects.
Amherst: Already 4-0 this season, Amherst is looking to return to the NESCAC Championship this year, having just missed out with a 7-5 record last season. Top hitter Brendan Powers graduated, but Amherst is a team led by its pitching. The one-two punch of juniors Ryan Healy and Max McKenna finished third and fourth in the conference in ERA as Amherst, having allowed a league-low walk rate, surrendered the second-fewest runs in the conference. On the offensive side, NESCAC rookie of the year outfielder Kevin Heller will look to take a step up from his already All-Conference debut season, while rookie coach Brian Hamm takes over for legend Bill Thurston, who retired last year.
Bates: Second-year coach Edwin Thompson's unit is off to a fast start at 3-1 this year and has already matched its win total from last season. Returning to the squad is junior All-NESCAC outfielder Chris Burke, who led the team in batting average and RBIs and set the school single-season record for hits with 52. Additionally, senior Tom Beaton, the league-leader in stolen bases, and junior outfielder Pat Murphy return to the Bobcats' lineup. On the pitching end, Bates graduated five pitchers who logged a combined 116 innings in 2009, but has done well so far, posting a 3.30 ERA through its four games.
Bowdoin: The Polar Bears tied the Jumbos with a 7-5 record in the East Division. In spite of a superior overall record to that of Tufts at 23-15, Bowdoin had dropped two of three to the Jumbos during the regular season, eliminating them from the playoffs. The Polar Bears were led last season by power hitting, as Bowdoin posted the second-most home runs in the conference, while its power pitching gave the squad the second-most strikeouts in the league. Beginning the season with a 16-game stretch in Florida, the Polar Bears are already 3-1.
Colby: Cellar dwellers at 1-11 last year, the Mules could boast few positives heading into their 2010 campaign. Their 8.27 team ERA was the worst in the conference last year, as was their .281 batting average. Furthermore, Colby team leader in on-base percentage Kyle McKay and team leader in slugging percentage Craig Cooper both have graduated. The downtrodden Mules appear to be in store for another rough year.
Hamilton: Coming off a program-record 14 wins in 2009, Hamilton hopes to compete in the NESCAC for the first time. The Continentals return most of their offense from last year, and All-Conference First Team senior Max Foster will head their rotation after a 5-2, 3.53 ERA season.
Middlebury: The Panthers, who finished in the bottom of the West Division at 3-9, gave up 101 total runs last year, which was second-worst in the league. This season, however, Middlebury returns two All-NESCAC players in senior Erich Enns, who was fourth in the NESCAC with a .439 average, and junior Donald McKillop, who had 16 multiple-hit games and is also an All-NESCAC quarterback, both of whom were in the top five in the league in batting.
Trinity: The Bantams, now two seasons removed from their national championship run, are currently ranked No. 4 in the country. Trinity finished last year at 33-7 and won its second straight NESCAC championship, and will enter this season with six seniors at the helm. Leading the way is D3baseball.com Pre-Season All-American first baseman Kent Graham, who swatted 10 homers and batted .409 last year. Two-time NESCAC honoree senior Jim Wood anchors the outfield in right field, while pitcher and captain Conor O'Sullivan Pierce had a 1.72 ERA in 31-plus innings last year.
Tufts: The Jumbos are fresh off a surprising campaign in which they started off 2-9 but ended up coming just short of beating Trinity in the NESCAC Championship. After graduating just two starting hitters and one starting pitcher, Tufts turns to an exciting core of juniors, led by pitcher Pat O'Donnell, pitcher and outfielder Chase Rose and tri-captain shortstop Dave Leresche, to give it its 19th straight season with a record above .500. Also returning is sophomore pitcher Chris DeGoti, who last season recorded a league-best five saves and 18 appearances.
Wesleyan: The Cardinals were bounced from last year's NESCAC Tournament after falling in consecutive games as the second seed from the West. And following the team's 11-10 victory over Swarthmore in Arizona over spring break, Wesleyan is off to an 8-0 start, its best such start since 1988. Though the Cardinals graduated Drew Dominguez, who had 60 hits last year, they return junior Julian Sonnenfeld, who was second in the NESCAC in runs last year.
Williams: After setting two conference records in an 18-5 drubbing of Tufts in the NESCAC Tournament first round last year, the Ephs then fell twice in one day to get knocked out of the double-elimination bracket. But they are back, and with senior Al Mathews, who was a Third-Team All-New England selection last year, they could very well return to the form they had in 2007, when the squad won the NESCAC outright.
