D1 rewind: BC cracks top 25 after four-win week

Another weekend of Division 1 college baseball around New England is in the books, with a number next to Boston College’s name.

The top local team so far this season, the Eagles upset another ranked ACC opponent in their last series and were top-25 ranked in the first two major national polls that were released first thing on Monday morning.

Besides Boston College, five of the region’s next six top teams according to the Warren Nolan RPI are coming off three-game series wins. Three teams, including two in the Ivy League, polished off sweeps.

This edition of NEBJ’s Monday roundup covers all of that and the rest of the action from around the region.

Boston College (20-9, 8-4 ACC)

RPI: No. 22

Last week (4-1): W 3-2 at Northeastern; W 12-2 vs. Merrimack; W 5-3, W 17-0, L 1-3 vs. Virginia

Peak performers: Former Middlesex star Kyle Wolff (Andover, Mass.) hit his first two home runs of the season — both two-run shots — in the first two Virginia games, opening the scoring on Friday before adding the exclamation point on a five-run first inning in Saturday’s blowout. BB&N and Phillips Exeter product Nick Wang (Newton, Mass.) also went deep as part of a 4 for 4 Saturday. A weekend of great pitching from all three starters included sophomore and former Belmont Hill southpaw Brady Miller (Harwich, Mass.) striking out nine across seven innings of two-hit ball on Sunday.

Bryant (16-9, 4-2 America East)

RPI: No. 114

Last week (3-1): W 4-2 at Rhode Island; L 10-12, W 7-5, W 13-9 vs. NJIT

Peak performers: Wheaton transfer Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) continued his Division 1 debut with a monster weekend against NJIT, going 10 for 15 with three doubles, five RBI and eight runs scored to raise his average to .412. A game-changing, eight-run eighth inning included a two-run single from Wensley. Former Governor’s outfielder Hunter Kingsbury (Newbury, Mass.) had seven RBI in the series, including multiple in all three games.

Connecticut (14-15, 2-1 Big East)

RPI: No. 120

Last week (2-2): L 3-8 vs. Quinnipiac; W 3-1, W 8-0, L 1-6 vs. Xavier

Peak performers: While Southern New Hampshire transfer outfielder Nater Wachter (Concord, N.H.) had a 3 for 4 game with a homer on Saturday, sparkling pitching performances in the first two games of the series set the Huskies up for success. Sophomore Cayden Suchy struck out 10 across eight shutout, one-hit innings after junior Charlie West set the tone for the weekend with 6 ⅔ scoreless for the second time this season.

Maine (5-20, 3-3 America East)

RPI: No. 158

Last week (2-1): L 1-10, W 9-5, W 10-6 at UMass Lowell

Peak performers: Graduate outfielder Juju Stevens continues to be a tonesetter in the Black Bear order, having gone 7 for 9 with a triple, three RBI and four runs scored across Saturday and Sunday. He was a perfect 4 for 4 in support of senior Gianni Gambardella’s (West Haven, Conn.) seven-inning Saturday effort. Senior Pierce Friedman (Swampscott, Mass.) closed down Sunday’s game with four shutout frames, allowing just a single hit while striking out four.

Brown (10-11, 5-1 Ivy)

RPI: No. 181

Last week (3-1): L 0-6 vs. Stonehill; W 4-0, W 14-1, W 4-0 vs. Princeton

Peak performers: It’s hard to even dream of better pitching performances than what seniors Peter Dubie and Dylan Reid and freshman Drew Nelson provided this weekend, as the trio combined to strike out 27 and allow just one earned run over 22 innings. Reid gave up just one hit across seven scoreless frames after Dubie started the series with 15 strikeouts, the most by a Brown pitcher since 2008. Senior center fielder Mika Petersen (Stamford, Conn.) ended the series on a 6 for 7 run at the plate, posting a double, homer and three RBI.

Northeastern (14-12, 8-4 CAA)

RPI: No. 187

Last week (2-3): L 2-3 vs. Boston College; W 6-0 at UMass Lowell; L 4-5 (11), W 12-11, L 10-11 at Hofstra

Peak performers: Senior designated hitter Matt Brinker (Norfolk, Mass.) highlighted his six-RBI week with a go-ahead grand slam in Sunday’s six-run sixth inning before the Huskies suffered a walk-off loss and their first CAA series defeat since 2024. He also hit a key two-run double in a four-run seventh frame on Saturday, while freshman Cooper Maher (Westerly, R.I.) finished 3 ⅔ innings of shutout relief to earn the win.

Merrimack (12-12, 7-5 MAAC)

RPI: No. 191

Last week (3-2): W 11-4 vs. UMass Lowell; L 2-12 at Boston College; L 3-10, W 14-0, W 13-1 vs. Manhattan

Peak performers: Senior outfielder Christian Scanlon (West Haven, Conn.) bookended his week with home runs and now co-leads the team with five on the season. The Hamden Hall product went 2 for 4 with a grand slam on Sunday to highlight the team’s 16-hit effort in support of James Borsari (Bolton, Mass.), who spun five innings of shutout ball in the seven-inning contest.

Sacred Heart (6-18, 4-5 MAAC)

RPI: No. 214

Last week (2-2): W 16-3 vs. New Haven; L 4-6, W 3-2 (10), L 6-9 vs. Mount St. Mary’s

Peak performers: Freshman outfielder Will Rudolph’s walk-off single in the 10th inning lifted the Pioneers to a Saturday win against Mount. Switch-pitching junior PJ Rogan threw four shutout innings to set the stage for heroics from Rudolph, who had hits in all three games of the series. Three more RBI for junior third baseman Ronan Donohue (Melrose, Mass.) upped his team-leading total to 13.

Rhode Island (8-18, 4-5 Atlantic 10)

RPI: No. 223

Last week (2-3): W 17-5 at Quinnipiac; L 2-4 at Bryant; L 1-6, L 2-17, W 2-1 at Richmond

Peak performers: The Rams used redshirt freshman third baseman Brian Connolly’s (Brunswick, Maine) fourth-inning double to score the go-ahead run and salvage their weekend series on Sunday. Sophomore Jake Cullen (Westford, Mass.) grabbed his first win of the season, striking out four across three innings of one-hit, shutout relief.

Yale (13-8, 4-2 Ivy)

RPI: No. 224

Last week (4-0): W 7-6 at Iona; W 16-14, W 4-0, W 3-2 (10) vs. Penn

Peak performers: After coming from nine runs down to win Saturday’s series opener, the Bulldogs used senior Daniel Cohen’s complete game shutout and a walk-off RBI single off the bat of junior shortstop Colin Sloan to post Sunday wins and complete a series sweep. Cohen allowed just two hits and struck out six while going the distance in game one, with junior outfielder Garrett Larsen (Fairfield, Conn.) providing support with a homer. 

Fairfield (11-11, 7-2 MAAC)

RPI: No. 227

Last week (2-1): W 12-3 vs. Central Connecticut; L 6-12, W 5-1 at Binghamton

Peak performers: Three of the Stags’ five runs in game two of a Sunday twinbill came via two home runs off the bat of senior center fielder TJ Schmalzle, who is carrying a seven-game hit streak. In the earlier game, sophomore second baseman Nolan Colby (Amherst, N.H.) posted his second straight multi-hit effort and drove in three with the help of his first homer this season.

Quinnipiac (11-14, 5-4 MAAC)

RPI: No. 229

Last week (4-1): L 5-17 vs. Rhode Island; W 8-3 at UConn; W 12-2, W 8-6, W 8-4 at Saint Peter’s

Peak performers: The big bat of senior catcher/first baseman Christian Smith (Fairfield, Conn.) was instrumental during a four-game win streak. Smith recorded multiple hits in each of those games and multiple RBI in three, including a 3 for 4 Sunday against Saint Peter’s in which he hit his second homer of the week. All three Bobcat starters struck out at least eight batters, with senior Andrew Rubayo fanning 10 in 5 ⅓ Saturday innings.

UMass Lowell (9-15, 2-4 America East)

RPI: No. 234

Last week (1-4): L 4-11 at Merrimack; L 0-6 vs. Northeastern; W 10-1, L 5-9, L 6-10 vs. Maine

Peak performers: The River Hawks won with Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) on the mound for a third straight weekend, as the junior tossed a nine-inning complete game on Friday to start their latest series with a bang. He allowed just one unearned run on four hits. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Sean O’Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) went 3 for 4 with an RBI double in that game and finished 6 for 11 the series.

Stonehill (9-14, 7-2 NEC)

RPI: No. 236

Last week (3-1): W 6-0 at Brown; W 5-3, L 10-11 (12), W 20-5 vs. Central Connecticut

Peak performers: Friday’s five innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts from senior Jimmy Gilleran (Mansfield, Mass.) got the Skyhawks off to a great start on the weekend. On Sunday, graduate center fielder and Tabor Academy product Sam Parks (Marion, Mass.) went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI from the top of the batting order, while Avon Old Farms grad Kacin Robinson (East Hartford, Conn.) drove in four runs. 

Harvard (3-15, 2-3 Ivy)

RPI: No. 245

Last week (1-1): W 2-1, L 4-9 at Cornell

Peak performers: The two-way exploits of senior Gio Colasante were on full display in Sunday’s series-opening twinbill, as he threw eight innings of one-run ball on just 87 pitches in game one before going 3 for 5 at the plate with a double and two RBI in game two. Junior shortstop Jack Rickheim finished the day with three hits, including the game-winning homer in the eighth inning.

Holy Cross (9-16, 5-4 Patriot)

RPI: No. 268

Last week (0-3): L 3-9, L 6-7, L 9-13 vs. Lafayette

Peak performers: Senior right fielder CJ Egrie went 6 for 12 in the series, hitting his first homer of the season in the opener of a Sunday doubleheader while stealing seven bases. Friday marked the former Phillips Andover postgraduate’s second consecutive game with a perfect 4 for 4 showing on the basepaths, and he is now 23 for 23 this season. In the series finale, junior first baseman and Dexter Southfield product Ryan Grundy (Weston, Mass.) drove in four.

Massachusetts (5-14, 1-11 MAC)

RPI: No. 277

Last week (0-4): L 3-4 at UAlbany; L 2-6, L 2-3, L 4-13 at Western Michigan

Peak performers: Sophomore Kingswood Oxford grad Adam Merritt (West Hartford, Conn.) delivered the Minutemen’s second straight quality start on Saturday, striking out a career-high seven and allowing just one earned run on three hits in 5 ⅔ innings. Former Salisbury outfielder Gavin O’Brien (Salisbury, Conn.) went 3 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI in Friday’s series opener.

Dartmouth (4-12, 1-4 Ivy)

RPI: No. 280

Last week (1-1): W 3-2 (10), L 1-3 vs. Columbia

Peak performers: Before freshman outfielder Henry Murray’s pinch-hit, walk-off single lifted the Big Green to its first win over Columbia since 2022, senior Mac Burke (Woodbridge, Conn.) recorded the final out of the top of the 10th inning with two men on base. Burke relieved junior Nate Isler, who started and worked the first 9 ⅔ frames.

Central Connecticut (6-11, 5-7 NEC)

RPI: No. 296

Last week (1-3): L 3-12 at Fairfield; L 3-5, W 11-10 (12), L 5-20 at Stonehill

Peak performers: On Saturday, sophomore catcher Danny Witters had the go-ahead RBI and junior Richie Kerstetter locked down the win with four straight scoreless innings to conclude his seven-inning relief outing. Junior outfielder Antonio Ducatelli had five hits and seven RBI in the series, driving in four in the extra-inning win.

New Haven (3-16, 3-6 NEC)

RPI: No. 301

Last week (2-2): L 3-16 at Sacred Heart; W 9-8, W 9-8, L 5-14 vs. Wagner

Peak performers: Senior first baseman Cam McGugan (Mystic, Conn.) had multiple hits in each of the Chargers’ two walk-off victories on the weekend, helping them secure their first-ever NEC series victory. He went 3 for 5 with two RBI and a run scored in Friday’s game and then hit a game-tying single in the ninth inning on Saturday. On the mound, junior Jace Vanvalkenberg threw five innings of one-run ball to secure the latter victory.