NCAA Tournament New England Regional Preview
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 16, 2018) – For the 11th time in program history, the Western New England University baseball team will compete in the NCAA Division III Tournament when the New England Regional gets underway on Thursday morning at Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass.
The fourth-seeded Golden Bears (31-13) will face fifth-seeded Ramapo (N.J.) College in the tournament opener at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. The full schedule for the regional can be found below.
How They Got Here
Western New England rolled through the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament with a perfect 5-0 record over the last two weekends. The Golden Bears swept Salve Regina in the best-of-three championship series, which culminated in a 7-6, walkoff win in 12 innings on Sunday in Newport.
NCAA Experience
Western New England is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, with 11 appearances in the past 18 years. The Golden Bears earned their first trip after capturing their first GNAC title in 2001, before reaching the national tournament again in 2004. WNE made eight straight appearances from 2006-12, which included a regional title and trip to the College World Series in 2011. All ten previous appearances came under former head coach Matt LaBranche, with this season's bid representing the first for fifth-year head coach Dan Gomez.
All-CCC Accolades
Western New England dominated the CCC's yearly awards, as junior shortstop Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) was named the CCC Player of the Year, junior left-handed pitcher Bob Hamel (Southwick, Mass.) earned Pitcher of the Year accolades, and Gomez received his second Coach of the Year nod. Additionally, eight other Golden Bears garnered All-CCC recognition.
Familiar Opponents
Western New England has faced three of the teams in the eight-team New England Regional this season with a 2-3 record in five contests. The Golden Bears swept No. 7 seed Suffolk (4-1, 15-0) on March 31, but fell to Mitchell 11-1 on April 20 and dropped two contests to UMass Boston (6-3 on 3/29, 9-7 on 5/2). WNE also played two other teams that earned NCAA bids in Westfield State in Babson, going 2-1 in those games for an overall record of 4-4 against NCAA Tournament competition during the regular season.
Statistical Rankings
Western New England led the CCC in a number of statistical categories this season, including runs per game (8.5) and earned run average (3.67). The Golden Bears also rank in the top-10 nationally in walks (245, 2nd), double plays (49, 3rd), hit by pitch (86, 4th), runs scored (373, 8th) and stolen bases (115, 10th).
Players to Watch
Alex Loparco (Junior | SS | Riverside, Conn.) - .379 BA, .522 OBP, 9 2B, 35 RBI, 37 BB, 19 SB, 51 R
Joe Cassella (Junior | OF/DH | Wallingford, Conn.) - .377 BA, .470 OBP, 10 2B, 25 BB, 38 RBI, 21 SB, 45 R
Jared Rosenblatt (Senior | IF | Avon, Conn.) - .301 BA, 12 2B, 47 RBI, 20 BB, 28 R
Bob Hamel (Junior | LHP | Southwick, Mass.) - 6-0, 1.08 ERA, 44 K, 50 IP, 4 Saves
Paul Wetmore (Junior | RHP | Hamden, Conn.) - 7-2, 2.86 ERA, 58 K, 56.2 IP
The Rest of the Regional Field
No. 3 UMass Boston Beacons (34-8)
How They Got Here: Little East Conference (LEC) champions
NCAA Experience: 3rd straight, 4th overall NCAA appearance (regional champions in 2010 & 2017)
Top Players:
Chris Fowler (Senior | IF | Barnstable, Mass.) - .383/.490/.669, 19 2B, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 32 BB, 43 R
JT Morin (Sophomore | LHP | Wilton, Conn.) - 6-1, 2.66 ERA, 60 K, 50.2 IP
No. 22/24 SUNY Oswego Lakers (26-12)
How They Got Here: State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champions
NCAA Experience: 4th straight, 9th overall NCAA appearance (regional champions in 2017)
Top Players:
Mike Dellicarri (Junior | OF | Congers, N.Y.) - .372/.444/.615, 8 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 49 R
Robert Donnelly (Senior | RHP | New City, N.Y.) - 5-3, 1.39 ERA, 48 K, 64.2 IP
No. 17/21 Keystone (Pa.) College Giants (32-10)
How They Got Here: Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) champions
NCAA Experience: 11th straight NCAA appearance (regional champions in 2011, 2016 national runner-up)
Top Players:
Mohammed Hussein (Junior | Utility | Queens, N.Y.) - .425 BA, 16 2B, 23 RBI, 31 BB, 53 R
Troy Terzi (Senior | P | Wallingford, Conn.) – 9-1, 2.04 ERA, 89 K, 83.2 IP
Ramapo (N.J.) College Roadrunners (32-13)
How They Got Here: At-Large Bid out of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
NCAA Experience: 12th NCAA appearance (1984 national champions, 2015 regional champions)
Top Players:
Joe Maugeri (Junior | OF | Flanders, N.J.) - .356 BA, 13 2B, 9 3B, 43 RBI, 33 BB, 20 SB, 68 R
Cory Heitler (Sophomore | P | Fair Lawn, N.J.) - 8-1, 2.36 ERA, 97 K, 68.2 IP
Mitchell (Conn.) College Mariners (30-8)
How They Got Here: New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) champions
NCAA Experience: 5th NCAA appearance (2011, 2014-16)
Top Players:
Kyle Hartenstein (Senior | 2B | Meriden, Conn.) - .408 BA, 11 2B, 30 RBI, 22 BB, 52 R
Jakari Pellegrini (Sophomore | LHP | New Britain, Conn.) - 5-0, 2.39 ERA, 53 K, 52.2 IP\
Suffolk (Mass.) University Rams (25-17)
How They Got Here: Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) champions
NCAA Experience: 4th straight, 8th overall NCAA appearance
Top Players:
Brady Chant (Senior | OF | Warwick, R.I.) - .350 BA, 12 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 22 BB, 22 SB, 35 R
Mark Fusco (Senior | RHP | Medford, Mass.) - 6-2, 2.49 ERA, 37 K, 50.2 IP
Penn State Berks Nittany Lions (25-10)
How They Got Here: North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) champions
NCAA Experience: 5th straight NCAA appearance
Top Players:
Toby Welk (Junior | 3B | Downington, Pa.) - .504/.604/1.062, 14 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 26 BB, 52 R
Tyler Comport (Senior | P | Boyertown, Pa.) - 7-0, 2.10 ERA, 56 K, 51.1 IP
NCAA New England Regional Schedule
THURSDAY, MAY 17
GAME 1: #4 Western New England vs. #5 Ramapo – 9:30 a.m.
GAME 2: #1 UMass Boston vs. # 8 Penn State Berks – 1:00 p.m.
GAME 3: #3 Keystone vs. #6 Mitchell – 4:30 p.m.
GAME 4: #2 Oswego State vs. #7 Suffolk – 8:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 18
GAME 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 9:30 a.m.
GAME 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 1:00 p.m.
GAME 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 4:30 p.m.
GAME 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 19
GAME 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7 – 9:30 a.m.
GAME 10: Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 6 – 1:00 p.m.
GAME 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 4:30 p.m.
GAME 12: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9 – 8:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 20
GAME 13: Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11 – 12:00 p.m.
GAME 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13 – 3:30 p.m.
MONDAY, MAY 22 – IF NCESSARY
GAME 15: Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 – TBD
