Baseball Set to Open Play in NCAA Regional
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team will open play in the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 15, in the 2026 NCAA Division III Tufts Regional against the host Jumbos, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at Sol Gittleman Park in Medford, Massachusetts.
It will mark the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Mariners have appeared in the NCAA Tournament and the second under head coach Shawn Gilblair.
The Jumbos hold the top seed in the four-team regional, with Kean University as the No. 2 seed, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges as the No. 3 seed, and the Mariners as the No. 4 seed. The regional is a double-elimination tournament, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals on May 22-23.
Following Mitchell's Friday matchup with Tufts, Kean and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will play at 2:30 p.m. The losers of Friday's games will meet on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in an elimination game, while the winners will face off at 2:30 p.m., with the victor advancing to Sunday's final. The winner of Saturday's elimination game and the loser of Saturday's winner's bracket game will then meet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to determine the second team advancing to Sunday.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $5 for children ages 3-12, and free for children ages 2 and under. There is no tournament pass; only day passes will be sold.
Quick Hits
• Mitchell enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 29-12 out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
• The Mariners have won five straight games, sweeping through the GNAC Tournament.
• Mitchell enters the regional round ranked 15th nationally in batting average (.341) and 23rd in on-base percentage (.445), while also ranking among the top 50 nationally in slugging percentage (.487), hits (467), doubles (96), and earned run average (4.63).
• Mitchell has faced two teams in this year's NCAA field, going 0-3 against Kean and Salve Regina University.
How They Got Here
• Mitchell finished atop the GNAC standings with a 16-4 conference record, earning the No. 1 seed in the 2026 GNAC Tournament.
• After advancing through opening weekend pod play, the Mariners swept the best-of-three GNAC Championship Series against Saint Joseph's College (Maine) to capture the program's 11th conference title and second under Gilblair.
• Senior Nicholas Bracale (East Haven, Conn.) was named Tournament MVP after batting .476 (10-for-21) across five games with four RBI and seven runs scored.
• Joining Bracale on the All-Tournament Team were juniors Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) and Christopher Piscione (Cranston, R.I.), along with senior Dom Yarson (Ewing, N.J.).
GNAC Honors
• Michael Ficocelli was named GNAC Co-Player of the Year and earned All-Conference First Team honors. He enters the weekend slashing .385/.471/.593 with two home runs, 35 RBI, and 37 runs scored, while his 22 doubles rank fifth nationally in Division III.
• Freshman pitcher Andrew Manzo (North Haven, Conn.) was named GNAC Rookie of the Year. He enters the weekend 5-0 in 10 appearances (eight starts), posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts across 47.1 innings.
• Junior right fielder Chas Terni Jr. (Montville, Conn.) earned All-Conference First Team honors. He enters the weekend batting .355 with nine home runs, nine doubles, 46 RBI, and 42 runs scored.
• Senior pitcher Thai-ler Sestokas (Danbury, Conn.) earned All-Conference First Team honors. He enters the weekend with a 7-1 record, 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.
• Senior catcher Nicholas Bracale earned All-Conference Second Team honors. He enters the weekend with a team-best .388 batting average to go along with 45 hits, 33 RBI, and 39 runs scored.
• Junior second baseman Christopher Piscione earned All-Conference Second Team honors. He enters the weekend slashing .355/.454/.532 with 50 hits, including eight doubles, four triples, and three home runs, while adding 37 RBI, 32 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.
• Senior relief pitcher Jacob Quiles (Wallkill, N.Y.) earned All-Conference Second Team honors. He enters the weekend with a 5-1 record, 3.38 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts across 32.0 innings.
• Sophomore center fielder Ryan Dennis (Ellington, Conn.) earned All-Conference Second Team honors. He enters the weekend batting .350 with 42 hits, 28 RBI, 46 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases.
• Freshman third baseman Angel Rodriguez Cruz (Cidra, P.R.) earned All-Conference Second Team honors. He enters the weekend slashing .341/.427/.588 with 12 doubles, three home runs, 27 RBI, and 27 runs scored.
• Senior pitcher Dom Yarson earned All-Conference Third Team honors. Entering the weekend, he leads Mitchell with 59.2 innings pitched while posting a 7-2 record, 2.11 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts.
Mitchell in the NCAA Tournament
• Mitchell is making its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011).
• The Mariners are 9-18 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, with their most recent win coming against Salisbury University in the 2024 Regional Round.
• Mitchell hosted the Regional Round for the first time in program history in 2023.
• The Mariners defeated Tufts, 6-5, in the 2023 Regional Round and are 1-1 all-time against the Jumbos.
• Mitchell is 0-5 all-time against Kean.
• The Mariners have never faced Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
