Bowdoin atop NESCAC, Wheaton best in NEWMAC

As the regular season reaches its final few weekends, the top teams in New England Baseball Journal’s Division 3 Coaches Poll are all in the midst of busy stretches of baseball.

The near-constant action, though, has led to mixed results for most of these ranked teams.

Only the top-two leading the pack have experienced an entire past week since our last poll without defeat, while only one other made it through last weekend unbeaten.

NEBJ’s Division 3 Coaches Poll, which will be released on Thursdays during the 2025 season, is voted upon by coaches and sports information directors throughout New England. Those interested in participating should email [email protected] for more information.

1. Endicott (23-3)

169 points – 16 first-place votesLast week: 1st

The Gulls have carried their unbeaten streak — now at 15 consecutive games — through a busy week, including an 8-0, 8-1 sweep of CNE foe last Friday and an 11-1 Monday win over neighboring Gordon (the 500th career win for coach Bryan Haley). The streak remained in non-conference play in a 21-7 Wednesday drubbing at Southern Maine. Senior right fielder Joey Frammartino (North Reading, Mass.) highlighted his CNE Player of the Week resume with three-hit games in both ends of the Curry twinbill, hitting a home run and swiping a base in the nightcap. Sophomore Charlie Hale (Brookline, N.H.) and junior Evan Scully (Maynard, Mass.) pitched seven-inning complete games against Curry, with Hale striking out 11 and allowing just four hits in a shutout and CNE Pitcher of the Week Scully fanning eight while allowing just one run on four hits. Senior center fielder Zach Stephenson (Mansfield, Mass.) is on an 11-game hit streak, including a pair of three-hit efforts and doubles in both Curry games. Sophomore first baseman Cade Bernardo had a 3 for 8 day with his fifth homer of the season and three RBI against Curry to help him land another CNE Rookie of the Week award. Against Gordon, graduate catcher John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.) homered and totaled four RBI while junior second baseman AJ Hamm (Shrewsbury, Mass.) hit two doubles and had three RBI to lead the offense.

2. Salve Regina (18-7)

131 pointsLast week: 3rd

The Seahawks hold strong in the rankings after picking up three crucial NEWMAC wins, pulling off a 5-4, 5-3 sweep of Babson on Friday and Monday before topping Clark 10-2 on Tuesday. The series opener saw graduate Brayden Clark (Beverly, Mass.) strike out five and allow just one earned run in 5 ⅓ innings, while senior second baseman Christian Homa (Fairfield, Conn.) went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI. Graduate center fielder Brandon Grover (Ashland, Mass.) led the way to the Babson sweep, hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning to highlight a 3 for 5, three-RBI performance, and junior Joe DeRienzo (Trumbull, Conn.) dominated with six strikeouts in four innings of shutout, three-hit relief. Against Clark, Grover and fellow outfielder Evan O’Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) combined for half of Salve’s team RBI on a pair of triples, with Grover’s being a bases-clearing hit in the second. Freshman Nolan Romanowski earned his first career win out of the bullpen, striking out five and allowing just one hit across the final three innings of the six-inning game.

3. Eastern Connecticut (19-7)

125 pointsLast week: 2nd

After splitting a pair of 3-2 decisions with longtime Little East competitor Southern Maine last weekend, the Warriors ripped off a season-high 22 runs in a 22-6 Tuesday win at Western Connecticut but took a 9-3 Wednesday loss at Amherst in non-conference play. In the USM victory, senior Matthew Wootton (Milford, Conn.) struck out seven in seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball, and a double by senior fielder Ray Leonzi (Trumbull, Conn.) and single by senior catcher Hank Penders (Wethersfield, Conn.) drove home the tying and go-ahead runs in the fifth inning. Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.) struck out 10 through the first four innings of the prior game, but he was tagged with a loss following a three-run fifth. Senior third baseman Emmanuel Zaiter had the biggest hit against WestConn, hitting a grand slam and driving in five during the team’s 11-run sixth inning. Leonzi was 3 for 3 with four runs scored and two RBI from the leadoff spot, while senior shortstop Preston Cosme-Cruz (Bridgeport, Conn.) drove in four.

4. Bowdoin (20-7)

114 pointsLast week: 4th

The Polar Bears opened their penultimate NESCAC series against Tufts with an 8-0 Friday victory, but have since stumbled in a three-game skid including two losses to the Jumbos 6-2, 10-2 and another in non-conference play at Southern Maine 10-7. Senior Jason Bogdanos pitched a complete-game, seven-inning shutout to earn the series-opening decision at Tufts, and junior second baseman Will Bordes (Groton, Mass.) led the way offensively going 4 for 5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Despite the losses, junior outfielder Lukas Tsai has remained on a five-game hit streak to remain the leading hitter at .354 on the season and sophomore center fielder Cal Thompson (Hudson, Mass.) has reached base in 19 straight through Tuesday.

5. Babson (16-8)

73 pointsLast week: 5th

Two losses to Salve Regina have the Beavers searching for their first NEWMAC win since April 4, but they have gotten back on the winning track during this week with matching 11-5 victories over nearby non-league foes Lasell and Tufts. Senior first baseman Justin Guest has put together three straight multi-hit games as of Thursday, going for a pair of doubles against Tufts to bring his average to .344. Guest was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI against Lasell, which had opened up a 5-0 lead before Babson’s response of 11 unanswered runs. Graduate third baseman Brant Savage (Charlton, Mass.) contributed to that run with a game-tying homer, and junior Connor Doan worked 4 ⅔ shutout innings in relief to post the victory. Freshman Chase Burrows has continued to throw well, dealing 4 ⅔ innings of one-hit and shutout work in the series-opening, 5-4 setback to Salve. Opponents have hit just .220 against Burrows, whose ERA is a solid 2.94 after 33 ⅔ frames.

6. UMass Boston (19-10)

64 pointsLast week: 6th

The Beacons have also bounced back from taking 10-0 and 9-5 losses in a Little East doubleheader sweep from Keene State last Friday to win two games this week, beating Plymouth State 10-5 and Curry 22-6. Senior Ross Dexter (Milton, Mass.) threw five innings for the win over Plymouth and had offensive support from senior catcher Mike Meagher (Marstons Mills, Mass.) and sophomore shortstop Elliot Miles (Portsmouth, N.H.) with two hits and three RBI, respectively. A 22-hit attack led the way against Curry, including four RBI and a homer from both of the aforementioned position players. Meagher was 4 for 4. The Beacons totaled four home runs, with graduate first baseman Jacob Levine (Easton, Mass.) and sophomore designated hitter Brandon Gaer (Rocky Hill, Conn.) also going deep. The Beacons turned up the offense after being shut out for the first 15 innings of the Keene doubleheader.

7. Wheaton (16-11)

46 pointsLast week: 7th

Now at the top of the NEWMAC standings, the Lyons beat Clark 9-7 on Sunday after losing the first game of the series and nipped Coast Guard 4-3 on Tuesday. Sophomore catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) and senior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) teamed up for five first-inning RBI in the Clark win on the strength of a two-run double and three-run homer. Sophomore Greg Strite allowed just one earned run in 5 ⅓ innings to up his season record to a perfect 5-0, while the relief effort included senior Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) recorded all five of his outs by way of the strikeout to help his NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week resume. Against Coast Guard, Matos and sophomore designated hitter Nick Ayres (Duxbury, Mass.) each went deep and junior shortstop Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) went 3 for 4 with a double. Junior Ben Oliveira (Somerset, Mass.) pitched one-run ball for 6 ⅓ on the mound. Senior Josh Fischer (Hopkinton, Mass.) logged his sixth straight save and now has seven with a 2.38 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 11 ⅓ innings on the season.

8. Coast Guard (16-11)

43 pointsLast week: 8th

The Bears earned a 13-7 win over Hartford last Thursday night at Dunkin’ Park — home of the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats — and pulled off a 7-2, 9-4 sweep of NEWMAC rival WPI last Friday and Sunday, but will now look to bounce back after taking midweek losses to Wheaton and Wesleyan this week. Sophomore Vito Giordano pitched a three-hit complete game with 11 strikeouts to keep Coast Guard in the first WPI game, as it took until the sixth inning for the offense to start a seven-run outburst over the final three frames. Sophomore right fielder Carson Cho went 3 for 4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored from the top of the lineup, and junior shortstop Rick Barkley had two RBI on the single that opened the scoring. Cho enjoyed another three-hit performance as the Bears completed the sweep, while Barkley, senior catcher Parker Madden and freshman designated hitter Connor Cilento all homered. At Dunkin’ Park, Cilento also went deep, Barkley hit two doubles and junior center fielder Kael Godshalk hit a double and a triple, driving in two runs and scoring two more. Despite the Wheaton loss earlier this week, junior Harrison Milbert (Kingston, Mass.) pitched 5 ⅔ strong innings allowing just two runs on five hits.

9. Johnson & Wales (18-10)

25 pointsLast week: 10th

A 6-1, 3-2 sweep of GNAC foe Dean last Friday gave the Wildcats a bump up in the NEBJ ranks this week. Junior Aidan Vining (Woburn, Mass.) pitched his third complete game of the season to start the twinbill, striking out nine and allowing just four hits and one run. Senior third baseman Xavier Botelho (Rehoboth, Mass.) and sophomore shortstop Jeff Valdez Jimenez (Boston, Mass.) each had two RBI. In the nightcap, junior center fielder Jack Obert (Plymouth, Mass.) and redshirt junior left fielder Ryan Ducey were a combined 5 for 9 from the top two spots in the order. Senior Ryan Schultz (Hebron, Conn.) pitched two innings of relief to post his third win, and Garrett Fusco (Windsor, Conn.) struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning for the save. JWU benefited from six unearned runs on eight errors over the two games.

10. Clark (19-10)

20 pointsLast week: Receiving votes

The Cougars grabbed a win over Wheaton in their NEWMAC series last Friday, and after taking a Tuesday loss to Salve, bounced back for an 11-0 Wednesday win over Worcester-area foe Anna Maria. Against Wheaton, freshman Robby Roth dealt four shutout, two-hit innings and made way for junior Tommy Flaherty to pitch the next four one-hit frames for his fifth win. Sophomore right fielder Michael Salzillo (Johnston, R.I.) went 2 for 4 with four RBI including a two-RBI triple that provided the game-winning runs. The Anna Maria win saw senior center fielder Carter Doran (Natick, Mass.) put together a 3 for 4 day with three RBI from the leadoff spot while junior third baseman Dom Mariani (Walpole, Mass.) homered. Despite this week’s losses, junior first baseman Brayden Hollinrake (Goffstown, N.H.) and Doran both homered.

Others receiving votes (more than 10 points): Middlebury, Bridgewater State, Mitchell, Westfield State, Lasell, Amherst (1 first-place vote), Southern Maine

For reference, teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, eight for a third-place vote, etc.