Original link: http://www.necbl.com/view/necbl/news-1185/news_534890
After a canceled 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic the New England Collegiate Baseball League finally returns to action on Thursday, June 3rd. The 2021 campaign marks the league’s 26th season and its Northern Division of seven teams are eager to get back on the field and chase the Fay Vincent Cup. Here’s a preview of the North’s season to come.
Keene Swamp Bats 2019 Record / Postseason: 26-18 (1st Place; NECBL Champions) Manager: Shaun McKenna Opening Game: June 3 at Vermont (6:30pm)
The reigning NECBL champion Keene Swamp Bats will seek to defend their 2019 title which was captured in a two-game sweep over the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. The Swamp Bats will have two returning players from the 2019 season in pitcher Michael Bacica and outfielder Thomas Joseph this season. Keene’s 2021 roster will feature eight players whose colleges will compete in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, which includes the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, Central Connecticut State, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Maryland. Bacica and Joseph will look to lead Keene to the team’s sixth all-time NECBL championship alongside a variety of dominant pitchers and position players from conferences such as the Big Ten and the Big East.
North Adams Steeplecats
2019 Record / Postseason: 24-20 (5th Place; Missed Playoffs)
Manager: Mike Dailey
Opening Game: June 3 at Winnipesaukee (6:05pm)
The rest of the Northern Division will certainly hope to stifle the Swamp Bats’ winning ways in 2021, including the North Adams Steeplecats. North Adams has not made it into the postseason since 2016 when they were defeated by the Valley Blue Sox in three games. The Steeplecats will look to get back into the playoffs with the help of arms from two pitchers of Southeastern Missouri State University, Noah Niznik and Andrew Keck, who will be featured in the NCAA baseball tournament. Keck showcased a .308 batting average in the 2021 regular season for the Redhawks. Pitcher Richard Alexy’s Division II championship contender Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) gets a spot on the roster in hopes of getting North Adams back into playoff contention.
North Shore Navigators:
2019 FCBL Record / Postseason: 30-25 (3rd Place; Reached Semi-Final Round)
Manager: Bob Macaluso
Opening Game: June 4 vs. Vermont (6:35pm)
The NECBL is excited to welcome the North Shore Navigators back to the league and to return to historic Fraser Field this summer. The last time they were NECBL members in 2010, the Navigators defeated the Danbury Westerners in the championship round in three games. North Shore will compete to pile on to their four NECBL titles as they make their return. Pitcher Cedric Gillette will return to play for the Navs from the 2019 FCBL season and attempt to bring North Shore right back to their victorious past in the NECBL. The Navigators will feature one player whose school will play in the NCAA tournament in Joseph Lomuscio of Stanford University. Gillette and Lomuscio will look to bring North Shore back to their winning ways in the NECBL in 2021.
Sanford Mainers:
2019 Record / Postseason: 17-27 (6th Place; Missed Playoffs)
Manager: Nic Lops
Opening Game: June 4 vs. Winnipesaukee
The Sanford Mainers will feature three players from an NCAA Tournament-qualifying team in search of the squad’s first championship title since 2008 and their first postseason appearance since 2018. Big arms from Maryland and the University of Arkansas and bats from Vanderbilt, Clemson and Virginia Tech University will bolster Sanford’s roster this season. Returning pitcher Trevor LaBonte of Maryland from 2019 hopes to lead the Mainers to a postseason run this season as well as catcher Ryan Turenne who batted .308 in 2021 for his University of Maine Black Bears.
Upper Valley Nighthawks:
2019 Record / Postseason: 24-20 (4th Place; Missed Playoffs)
Manager: Justin Devoid
Opening Game: June 4 at Keene
The Upper Valley Nighthawks, who joined the league in 2015 but last qualified for the playoffs in 2017, are in search of their first Fay Vincent Sr. Cup this season. Having two returning players from 2019, pitcher Jordy Allard and infielder Gehrig Anglin, and four players whose colleges will compete in the NCAA tournament, the Nighthawks will look to get on the right track in 2021. Allard touted an unhittable 0.91 earned run average over 49.2 innings pitched in 2021 for his Babson Beavers. Anglin batted .305 in 2021 for his Wright State Raiders. Upper Valley’s roster features players from Northeastern University, Wright State University and Liberty University, who are all competing in the NCAA playoffs.
Vermont Mountaineers:
2019 Record / Postseason: 25-19 (3rd Place; Reached Wild Card Game)
Manager: Charlie Barbieri
Opening Game: June 3 vs. Vermont (6:30pm)
After qualifying for the 2019 postseason, the Vermont Mountaineers are in search of their first NECBL championship since 2015. With a roster containing four returning players from 2019, the Mountaineers are hopeful to make a deeper playoff run this time around. Strong arms from Harvard and Connecticut highlight the Mountaineers’ deep staff in 2021 in addition to talented hitters from the likes of Penn State and Bryant. Pitcher Brendan O’Donnell of the University of Connecticut will see his school compete in the NCAA tournament while also seeking to lead Vermont to a deep postseason run.
Winnipesaukee Muskrats:
2019 Record / Postseason: 13-29 (7th Place; Missed Playoffs)
Manager: Rich Cesca
Opening Game: June 3 vs. North Adams
Having not made the playoffs since 2015, the Winnipesaukee Muskrats are eager to bring playoff baseball back to Laconia this summer. With three players whose colleges are in the NCAA tournament and returning pitcher Drew Martin of Eckerd College, catcher Teddy Beaudet of Northeastern and infielder Drew Metzdorf of Abilene Christian, Winnipesaukee should have plenty to lean on as the summer gets going. Pitchers Joey Kraska of NJIT and Trevor Anibal (0.79 earned run average in 11.1 innings pitched thus far in 2021) of SNHU look to lead not only their schools to NCAA victories but also the Muskrats to the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in the summer.
Comments