Baseball Lands Top Spot in NECC Preseason Poll
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) coaches have selected Mitchell College to take home the 2021 crown in the NECC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Mariners collected 25 total points and five first-place votes. Travis Beausoleil, the 2019 NECC Coach of the Year, returns for his 10th season managing the Mariners. Mitchell went 5-3 in the shortened 2020 season, and brings back an accomplished group as it returns to play in 2021. Mitchell won a school record 34 games in 2019 and returns two NECC major award winners from that record-setting season, as Player of the Year Dougie DelaCruz and Pitcher of the Year Roland Thivierge both return to the fold. An outfielder, DelaCruz hit .379 with six home runs and 48 RBI as a freshman, while Thivierge led the league with a 2.24 ERA in 2019. The Mariners also return a host of 2019 All-NECC performers, including seniors Steve Cochrane, Jakari Pellegrini and Bryce Bedard.
Eastern Nazarene College was voted into the second spot with 19 total points. The Lions are led by second-year head coach Chris Shank, who took his squad to an 8-3 record in 2020. The Lions will look to Steven Pesce to be a leader on the field. Pesce paced the Lions with a .351 batting average, 52 base hits, and 35 RBI in 2019, earning second team all-conference honors for his efforts. Graduate student Briley Seiter will also return for the Lions, an All-NECC pitcher who won three games in 2019. Eastern Nazarene will also welcome transfer Anderson Jimenez, who was a first team all-conference performer in 2019 while winning the NECC title with New England College.
New England College, having won the last NECC Championship in 2019, collected 18 total points and the remaining first-place vote to land the third spot. Third-year head coach Terry Doyle will lead a squad that went 5-5 in a shortened 2020 season. Among the returners is senior Connor Morin, who hit .341 with seven home runs in 2019. Sophomore Harutaro Takahashi will also return to the field for the Pilgrims. Takahashi was named a NCBWA Rookie of the Week in 2020, finishing with 12 hits, including three home runs, in eight games played.
Elms College, led by head coach John Raiola, takes the fourth slot with 14 points. The Blazers return 2019 NECC All-Conference honoree Nathan Ayala, who hit .364 with 23 RBI in 2019. Ayala hit .360 with three doubles and one home run over eight games in the abbreviated 2020 season.
Lesley University will be under the direction of second-year head coach Seth Kaplan, and finished with eight points to take the fifth spot. The Lynx return an experienced squad, including graduate students Javi Martinez and Steve DePalma. Martinez hit .328 with three home runs in 2019, while DePalma pitched 20.2 innings and struck out 26.
Becker College closes out the poll with six points. Head coach Brian Kehew will be back for his third season managing the Hawks. All-conference selection Coby Hussey also returns for Becker, as the shortstop batted .344 with 25 RBI in 2019.
The NECC Baseball Championship is slated to take place on May 7 through May 9.
