17 peak performers from the weekend of Feb. 21

The second weekend of the college baseball season means that more New England ballclubs have made their way to the diamond across all three NCAA levels.

Each of the region’s four Ivy League programs made their season debuts, while schedules picked up at the Division 2 and 3 levels as well. 

This past weekend’s action included incredible stretches at the plate, early dominant pitching performances from some of the region’s top D2 and D3 squads, and a memorable college debut played close to home.

For all of that and more, NEBJ presents its weekly look at top recent college performers on New England-based teams. Additional highlights can be emailed to [email protected].

DIVISION 1

Liam Daly

Holy Cross | Freshman | OFHometown: Paxton, Mass.

While former Phillips Andover postgraduate CJ Egrie sets the tone at the top of the Holy Cross lineup, Daly earned his first two college starts on Saturday and Sunday at FIU. The Worcester Academy product highlighted a three-hit weekend with his first career home run, kicking off the Crusaders’ eight-run rally in the ninth inning for a 20-17 Sunday win. He had another hit and scored on BB&N grad Alex Sandell’s (Cambridge, Mass.) three-run shot earlier in the game.

Ty Fox

Massachusetts | Redshirt Freshman | OF/INF

One of the keys to the Minutemen’s season-opening sweep of Mount St. Mary’s was first-year co-head coaches Brandon Shileikis and Max Weir giving this youngster a spot in the starting outfield for back-to-back games. Fox, who began his career at Ohio State, went 4 for 6 with a double, two homers, six RBI and five runs scored. He went deep in both ends of a Saturday doubleheader as UMass earned 10-6 and 7-5 victories.

Matt DeShiro

Merrimack | Sophomore | INFHometown: Mansfield, Mass.

DeShiro was just one of the contributors to a Warrior offense that racked up 25 runs on 38 hits across their first four games, seeing three of his six total hits go for extra bases. The leadoff-hitting second baseman hit Merrimack’s second two-run home run of the game-changing, six-run fifth inning in Friday’s 9-5 win over Ball State. The next day against Seton Hall, he forced extra innings with a two-run double in the top of the ninth.

Kyle Garbowski

Quinnipiac | Junior | INFHometown: New Fairfield, Conn.

Garbowski has posted multiple hits in five of his Bobcats’ first six games, including all three in their most recent series at North Florida. He highlighted the weekend by hitting a run-scoring double that helped Quinnipiac take the lead in the fifth inning of an eventual 6-3 Saturday victory. The key hit was part of a 2 for 5, two-RBI effort from the top of the lineup. 

Mark Henshon

Brown | Senior | INFHometown: Wellesley, Mass.

The former Roxbury Latin star held the Ivy League RBI lead through its opening weekend of play as he produced six while going 5 for 11 with a double and a homer during Brown’s stay at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. Henshon homered in the first inning and went 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored in the Bears’ 16-12 Saturday win over Indiana State, which was the first for head coach Frank Holbrook (Middletown, R.I.).

Garrett Larsen

Yale | Junior | OFHometown: Fairfield, Conn.

Another one of the Ancient Eight’s best last weekend, Larsen was 7 for 9 with a double, homer, two RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases while beginning his junior campaign at the MLB’s Andre Dawson Classic. The Fairfield Warde grad had multiple hits in each game, including a Saturday homer against Jackson State and going 2 for 2 to help the Bulldogs finish the tournament with a win over Bethune-Cookman the following day.

Oliver Pudvar

UConn | Redshirt Junior | LHPHometown: Shelburne, Vt.

Pudvar bounced back from a tough season debut against Air Force (seven runs in 3 ⅓ innings) a week ago Sunday to pitch 5 ⅓ in the Huskies’ 11-2 Sunday win to clinch a four-game series at Arizona. The southpaw scattered eight hits, but did not walk a batter and struck out three. The gritty performance put a cap on an excellent series for UConn, as all four starters — Charlie Hale (Brookline, N.H.), Cayden Suchy, Charlie West and Pudvar — worked into the sixth inning.

Julio Solier

Boston College | Sophomore | INF

The Springfield Central High School product seems to have carved out a nice place at the top of the Boston College batting order, setting the tone with multiple hits in three of the Eagles’ four games at the Hub City Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C. Solier began the weekend going 4 for 5 with a double and three runs scored in a 9-1 Friday win over Cornell before a 3 for 4 showing against Northwestern the next afternoon. 

DIVISION 2

Dakota Britt

Southern New Hampshire | Senior | OF

A first-year Penmen transfer who played at fellow Division 2 power North Greenville earlier in his career, Britt made a huge impact across his first four games with his new team. He sports a gaudy .706 average (12 for 17) with three doubles, eight RBI, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases after a pair of three-hit games and a 5 for 5 showing in a 7-5 Saturday win over Staten Island to complete the opening four-game stretch. 

Lane LeClair

Franklin Pierce | Sophomore | RHPHometown: Marlborough, N.H.

LeClair has been one of the beneficiaries of the Franklin Pierce staff having plenty of innings to cover following graduations, and he is sure to earn more following an impressive second career outing in Thursday’s 19-9 win over Post in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He tossed 12 strikeouts across five innings of two-run ball to earn the victory in relief, upping his season total to 18 against only eight hits and two walks in 10 ⅓ frames.

Brennan Staubley

Southern Connecticut | Redshirt Junior | CHometown: Plainville, Conn.

Staubley has come out of the gates swinging a hot bat for the Owls, posting a .433 average with three homers, six total extra-base hits and seven RBI through seven games. The reigning All-Northeast-10 pick began this past weekend with a huge Friday doubleheader against Staten Island, posting a five-RBI game before recording three more RBI and his third homer in a four-game span in the nightcap. He also doubled in each of the following games against Post and Wilmington.

David VanderZouwen

Bentley | Sophomore | OFHometown: Reading, Mass.

Preseason All-NEBJ picks Stan DeMartinis and Jared Berardino (Rowley, Mass.) have supplied power with four homers apiece through seven games, but this former Austin Prep standout has enjoyed a breakout start. VanderZouwen leads Bentley with a .481 average and 13 RBI after posting back-to-back three-hit games to conclude their weekend trip to Myrtle Beach. He hit a pair of homers as part of a 3 for 5 day during a 20-6 Saturday win over Bridgeport.

DIVISION 3

Kyle Carozza

Salve Regina | Senior | RHPHometown: Fairfield, Conn.

Carozza showed strikeout stuff as an All-New England starter last season and got the new season off to a similarly dominant start across his four-inning outing in Saturday’s 19-4 Salve win over Stevens. Despite allowing two runs on four hits, the righty struck out a career-high 10 batters and set the stage for sophomore lefty Brady Shea (Worcester, Mass.) to deal two scoreless innings and post the victory. 

Case LaChance

Dean | Freshman | INF/OF

The New York native had a memorable collegiate debut in the first NCAA game played on New England turf this season, going 3 for 4 with a run scored, four RBI, a walk and a stolen base to lift Dean past Fitchburg State 9-8 in 10 innings last Wednesday. LaChance had three run-scoring base hits — including one to tie the game in the seventh inning — before drawing a walk-off walk with the bases loaded in the 10th. 

Brady Stuart

Endicott | Senior | RHPHometown: Hudson, Mass.

How about this for a start to the season? After senior classmate Evan Scully (Maynard, Mass.) struck out 10 across five innings in the first game of a Friday doubleheader against MUW, Stuart took the ball in the nightcap and delivered Endicott’s first no-hitter since 2008, which was coach Bryan Haley’s (Hartford, Conn.) first season leading Endicott. The 6-foot-2 righty faced just one batter over the minimum and struck out seven, leading the Gulls to a 10-0 win in seven innings.

Gibby Sullivan

Bates | Senior | INFHometown: Yarmouth, Maine 

Sullivan was the star for the first NESCAC team to see action in 2026, posting multiple hits and RBI in three straight games and a 1.592 OPS as Bates bested St. Lawrence twice in Newark, Del. He accounted for six of the Bobcats’ runs in Saturday’s 13-6, series-clinching win (three runs scored and two more RBI) and finished 6 for 10 with a double, triple and seven RBI on the weekend. 

Danny Tambascia

Brandeis | Sophomore | 1BHometown: Newton, Mass.

The Newton North High School grad helped slug the Judges to an undefeated start in Davenport, Fla., as he legged out extra bases on four of his first six knocks, drove in eight runs and scored six more through four games. He doubled and tripled in a 10-4 Wednesday win over CCNY before driving in three in Friday’s 16-run outburst to beat Vermont State Castleton.