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Baseball HR Celebration

Baseball Prepares to Host NESCAC Championship Weekend

| By: Chris Kendrick
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Baseball team is preparing to host Amherst College, Middlebury College and Tufts University for the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Baseball Championship Weekend at Murren Family Field at DiBenedetto Stadium from May 8-10. The Jumbos will face the Panthers in the opening game Friday at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Bantams taking on the Mammoths at 5:00 p.m.
 
Bantam Bytes:
  • The Bantams reached the Championship Weekend for the second straight season after defeating Wesleyan University in a three-game Quarterfinal series.
  • Trinity owns a 26-11 record with an 8-4 record to earn the second-seed in the East Division.
  • The Bantams rank third in the NCAA Region 1 rankings.
  • The Bantams are looking to end a 13-year Championship drought with their fifth NESCAC Championship banner.
  • Trinity owns one of the most potent offenses in the conference, leading the league in runs (312), home runs (37), runs batted in (281), total bases (603) and stolen bases (110), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.491), hits (379), doubles (83), triple (15), and third in batting average (.308).
  • The Bantams pitching staff holds a 5.29 earned run average with 211 strikeouts and opponents holding a .262 batting average.
  • Timothy Domizio paces the NESCAC in home runs (10) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.659), runs batted in (38) and total bases (91). Domizio owns a 1.075 OPS with 46 hits, 11 doubles and 42 runs scored.
  • Aidan Stern leads the league in on-base percentage (.520), while sitting third in doubles (13), fourth in OPS (1.090). Stern owns a team-high .368 batting average with a .570 slugging percentage and 35 runs scored.
  • Tyler Bernstein ranks second in home runs (9), third in runs (42), runs batted in (36) and total bases (78) and stolen bases (25). Bernstein knocked 47 hits with a 1.029 OPS and a .578 slugging percentage.
  • Andrew Park has tallied seven home runs and three triples, ranking third in both categories. Park is batting .281 with a .511 slugging percentage, 32 runs batted in and 69 total bases.
  • Aidan Stevenson ranks fifth in doubles (12) and ninth in runs batted in (32), while Luis Saldivia sits seventh in stolen bases with 15.
  • Joe Capano has anchored the Bantams rotation with a league-high 10 starts, while ranking second in innings pitched (58.2), third in complete games (2), fifth in strikeouts (48). Capano owns a 4-1 record with a 4.14 earned run average and a .258 opponent batting average.
  • Andrew Oppenheimer holds a 7-1 record in his debut season, logging a 3.80 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 47.1 innings of work. Drew McGowan has added four victories with 24 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.
  • Tyler Fahey possesses a team-best 2.89 ERA, sixth-lowest in the conference, with a 5-0 record and a team-high five saves in 37.1 innings. Fahey ranks third in opponent batting average (.211) with 25 strikeouts and only three extra-base hits allowed, all doubles.
 
 
Scouting Amherst:
  • The Mammoths are making their first appearance in Championship Weekend since 2024 after rallying with two straight wins over Bowdoin in the Quarterfinals.
  • The Mammoths are hunting their fifth NESCAC Championship in program history, and first since 2021.
  • Amherst owns a 24-12 record with a 7-5 conference mark, claiming the top-seed in the West.
  • The Mammoths sit at fourth overall in the Regional Rankings.
  • Amherst leads the NESCAC in hits (383), while ranking second in batting average (.324), on-base percentage (.416), runs (298), and runs batted in (270). The Mammoth are third in doubles (73), fourth in total bases (495) and fifth in slugging percentage (.413) with six triples and nine home runs.
  • Amherst has struck out a league-low 161 times.
  • The Mammoths have been strong on the mound, ranking second in ERA (4.12) and strikeouts (265) with opponents batting .260 on the season.
  • Charlie LaFreniere is batting a team-high .391, fourth-best in conference, with .483 on-base percentage, 45 hits, including 10 doubles, and 34 runs batted in.
  • Tyler McCord ranks third in hits (53) and runs batted in (36) with a .371 batting average, 11 doubles, 35 runs scored and 66 total bases.
  • Leo Foust sits sixth in runs (38) and eighth in hits (45), Boyer ranks sixth in doubles (11) and Zander Carnahan is ninth in runs batted in (32).
  • Saahi Jetti has been one of the top pitchers in the NESCAC, leading the league in wins (8), ERA (2.12), innings pitched (63.2), strikeouts (65) and complete games (5) with opponents batting .189 against him, second-lowest mark in the conference. Jetti ranks sixth in the Nation in complete games and tenth in wins.
  • Naaveen Narayanan posted a 3-0 record in eight appearances with a 2.31 ERA in 39 innings with 39 strikeouts. Narayanan ranks third in ERA and opponent batting average (.211).
  • Nick Fassert is 3-2 on the year with 54 strikeouts, second-most in the league, in 56 innings with a 3.70 ERA and a .238 opponent batting average.
 
 
Scouting Tufts:
  • The Jumbos earned the top-seed in the East Division with a 27-9 record and an 8-4 mark in the NESCAC.
  • Tufts is seeking their eighth NESCAC Conference crown, and first since 2023.
  • Tufts is ranked #20 in the latest ABCA Coaches Poll and the D3baseball.com Top 25 poll, and are second in the Regional Rankings.
  • The Jumbos batted .302 with a .444 slugging percentage and a.403 on-base percentage.
  • Tufts ranks third in the NESCAC in triples (13), home runs (22), and total bases (508); and fourth in hits (346) and doubles (70). Tufts sits fifth in runs (251) and runs batted in (226).
  • The Jumbos pitching staff leads the league in ERA (4.09), strikeouts (266), saves (10) and opponent batting average (.252).
  • Tufts leads the league in fielding percentage with a .974 mark, 12th-best in the Nation.
  • Jack Kamin leads the Jumbos with a .441 average, second-best in the NESCAC, while sitting second in hits (56), third in OPS (1.092) and runs batted in (36), fourth in total bases (77), and fifth in slugging percentage (.606) and on-base percentage (.486).
  • James Henson has knocked 45 hits, including a league-high six triples and 11 doubles, with 25 RBI and 77 total bases.
  • Tate Bannish tallied 41 hits with 10 doubles, three triples and five home runs for a .576 slugging percentage. Bannish has driven in 33 runs with 72 total bases.
  • Cole Donato owns a 7-1 record in nine appearances, ranking second in ERA (2.24) and wins, third in innings pitched (56.1) and strikeouts (53) with opponent's batting .235 against.
  • Emmet Christian is 6-1 on the season with two complete games, while ranking fourth in ERA (2.37), wins and strikeouts (50).
  • Mark Herlihy has allowed the fewest hits in the league (24) with a league-low .180 opponent batting average in 11 appearances, including seven starts. Herlihy has tallied 29 strikeouts in 37 innings with a 3.89 ERA and a .92 WHIP.
 
Scouting Middlebury:
  • The Panthers, the reigning two-time NESCAC Champs, are making their sixth straight appearance at Championship Weekend after clipping Bowdoin College in a three-game Quarterfinal set.
  • Middlebury registers a 21-13 record with a 7-5 standing in the NESCAC to receive the second-seed in the West Division.
  • Middlebury is searching for their fifth NESCAC Championship and fourth since the 2022 season.
  • Offensively, the Panthers lead the league in batting average (.324), slugging percentage (.498), on-base percentage (.417), doubles (86), and triples (16).
  • Middlebury sits second in home runs (28) and total bases (580), while generating the third-most runs (277), hits (378), and runs batted in (238).
  • The Panthers have struck out the second-most times in the conference (256) and rank third in stolen bases with 86.
  • The Middlebury staff holds a 5.30 earned run average while sitting third in strikeouts (240) and opponent batting average (.258).
  • Henry Ayers has been one of the top hitters in the Nation, ranking fourth in Division III in batting average with a .481 mark. Ayers leads the league in OPS (1.206), slugging percentage (.696), hits (65) and total bases (94), while ranking second in runs (44) and doubles (14), and third in triples (3) and on-base percentage (.510).
  • Ayers is the 13th-toughest player to strikeout in Division III, holding only five strikeouts in 135 at-bats.
  • Sam Gersch ranks second in OBP (.514) and OPS (1.121), third in batting average (.429), fourth in slugging percentage (.607) and stolen bases (22), and fifth in hits with 48, including 10 doubles.
  • Anthony Pellagrini has knocked the fourth-most home runs (6) with a .595 slugging percentage, sixth-highest in the league. Aiden Han ranks third in triples with three.
  • Chase Zidlicky is 3-2 with a 5.21 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts and opponents batting .247. Emmet George ranks tenth in strikeouts (40) with a 6.19 ERA in 10 appearances.
 
Tournament Schedule:
  • Friday, May 8
    • 1:30 PM - Game 1: Middlebury vs. Tufts
    • 5:00 PM - Game 2: Trinity vs. Amherst
  • Saturday, May 9
    • 10:30 AM - Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
    • 2:00 PM - Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
    • 45 Mins After Game 4 - Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
  • Sunday, May 10
    • 10:30 AM - Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
    • 2:00 PM - Game 7 (If Necessary): Game 6 Participants
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