Baseball Picked First in NECC Preseason Poll
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) coaches have selected Mitchell College to take home the 2020 crown in the NECC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Mitchell, which won a school record 34 games under NECC Coach of the Year Travis Beausoleil in 2019, tallied 35 points and five first-place nods. The Mariners return three NECC major award winners from 2019, as Player of the Year Dougie DelaCruz, Pitcher of the Year Roland Thivierge, and Rookie of the Year Ryan Solimine all return to the roster. DelaCruz, an outfielder, hit .379 with six home runs and 48 RBI as a rookie in 2019. Thivierge led the league with a 2.24 ERA, with Solimine right behind with a 2.28 ERA and a league-leading nine wins.
Defending champion New England College collected the two remaining first-place votes and 32 total points to land the second spot. Second-year head coach Terry Doyle will lead an experienced squad that returns five starters from their title-winning squad. Among the returners is senior shortstop Luis Atiles, who was a first team All-NECC selection in 2019. Atiles hit .531 in conference play, tops in the league. His 26 hits in conference play was also league-leading.
In the third spot was Eastern Nazarene College with 25 total points. The Lions welcome head coach Chris Shank, who 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 last spring, earning second team All-Conference honors.
Finishing in fourth with 19 total points was Becker College. Head coach Brian Kehew will be back for his second season managing the Hawks. All-conference performer Coby Hussey will also return for Becker, as the shortstop comes off a season in which he batted .344 with 25 RBI.
Elms College, led by head coach John Raiola, took the fifth slot with 13 points. The Blazers return NECC All-Conference performer Nathan Ayala, who hit .364 with 23 RBI a season ago.
Closing out the poll was Lesley University, which will be led by first-year head coach Seth Kaplan, and Dean College, led by veteran head coach Ernie May. Lesley tallied 12 points, with Dean close behind with 11. Both squads have a solid veteran group returning, and will be on the hunt for a postseason berth.
1. Mitchell – 35 (5)
2. New England Col. – 32 (2)
3. Eastern Nazarene- 25
4. Becker- 19
5. Elms- 13
6. Lesley- 12
7. Dean- 11
