Baseball vs. RIT
NCAA Tournament | Gorham Regional 
Sunday, May 16 | 11 a.m.
Ed Flaherty Field | Gorham, Maine

WHAT TO KNOW
•    The Babson baseball team went 4-0 in the NEWMAC Tournament to claim its second conference championship in three seasons and following Friday's rain out will now open the NCAA Tournament in the Gorham Regional against LEC champions Southern Maine on Saturday afternoon. 
•    No. 5/5 Rowan, which won the NJAC Tournament, and Liberty League champions RIT join the Beavers and Huskies in the four-team regional. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 16 
Game 1: No. 4/5 Rowan 7, RIT 5
Game 2: Southern Maine 11, Babson 7

Sunday, May 17
Game 3: Babson (26-16) vs. RIT (24-14), 11 a.m.
Game 4: No. 4/5 Rowan (33-5) at Southern Maine (31-10), 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6 p.m.

Monday, May 18
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 a.m.
Game 7: if necessary, 45 minutes after completion of Game 6

SERIES HISTORY
vs. Southern Maine
•    Babson is 9-14-1 all-time against the Huskies in a series that dates back to 1997.
•    The teams have split their last 10 meetings going back to 2012 and the Beavers are 2-2 at Ed Flaherty Field against Southern Maine since 2014. 
•    The Green and White has not faced the Huskies since 2023. 

vs. Rowan 
•    Babson is 0-2 versus the Profs in a series that dates back to 2011. 
•    The Beavers suffered an 11-5 loss to Rowan back on March 16, 2025, in Winter Haven, Fla.

vs. RIT
•    Babson is 1-1 all-time against Tigers after the teams split a doubleheader back on March 22, 2009, in Babson Park. 

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 7th
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: advanced to the 2019 College World Series
•    Babson (26-15) has won six straight games and 10 of its last 11 overall after defeating No. 4/4 Salve Regina 21-2 in last Sunday's NEWMAC Tournament final. 
•    Junior Connor Frickey was 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI, classmate Ryan Liss and senior Zander Teator both doubled while providing three hits and three RBI, and sophomore Graydon Vyse allowed just two runs over 8.0 innings for the Beavers, who broke the game open with five runs in the sixth and nine in the seventh. 
•    Sophomore Ben Valente is batting .356 with six doubles, two homers, 17 stolen bases, 34 RBI and a team-high 46 runs scored, junior Dante D'Avanzo is hitting .315 with eight extra-base hits, 30 RBI and 23 runs scored, and Teator, who owns a .467 on-base percentage, has raised his average to .296 with four homers, 11 doubles, 29 RBI and 32 runs scored. 
•    Vyse (3-0, 3.25 ERA) boasts a 1.08 WHIP and has 38 strikeouts against just seven walks in 44.1 innings, junior Jason Finkelstein (5-2, 3.31 ERA) has fanned 44 batters in 54.1 innings, and graduate student Joe Carrea is 3-2 with a 5.18 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched this spring. 

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 27th
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 1991 and 1997 national champions 
•    Southern Maine (30-10) has won five straight games and went unbeaten in the LEC Championship, defeating Keene State 11-5 last Saturday to claim its first title since 2021.
•    Caleb Vacchiano hit a grand slam and finished with six RBI, Carter Higgins singled three times, Kyle Douin reached base three times and scored twice, and Carson Black struck out five over 8.0 innings for the Huskies, who trailed 4-0 going to the bottom of the fourth. 
•    Douin owns a 16-game hitting streak and is batting .436 with 12 homers, 14 doubles, 66 RBI and 64 runs scored, Peter Keblinsky is hitting .404 with 19 doubles, 46 RBI and 61 runs scored, and Evan Baschnagel boasts a .353 average and a .574 OBP to go along with nine homers, 10 doubles, 32 walks, 23 stolen bases, 37 RBI and 63 runs scored. 
•    Colin McDonald (9-1, 3.84 ERA) has a 1.23 WHP and has recorded 46 strikeouts in 58.2 innings, Gabe Gifford (5-2, 2.22 ERA) has punched out 75 while holding opposing hitters to a .200 average in 56.2 innings of work, and Hayden Strout is 6-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 48.0 innings pitched this spring. 

SCOUTING THE PROFS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 32nd
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 1978 and 1979 national champions 
•    No. 4/5 Rowan (32-5) has won nine consecutive games entering the regional and beat William Paterson 18-6 and 12-3 the NJAC Championship Series last Saturday. 
•    Brett Chiesa went 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBI And three runs scored in game one and Austin Kreyenhagen gave up just three runs over 7.0 innings while seven different players knocked in a run in game two for the Profs, who advanced to the College World Series last season. 
•    Brayden Davis is batting .403 with 11 homers, 15 doubles, 65 RBI and 64 runs scored, Damon Suriani is hitting .371 with nine doubles, two triples, 36 RBI and 38 runs scored, and Evan McCoach enters the tournament with a .315 average to go along with 11 doubles, three home runs, 30 walks, 44 RBI and 54 runs scored. 
•    Kreyenhagen (6-1, 2.98 ERA) is holding opposing hitters to a .201 average while striking out 34 in 57.1 innings pitched, Zach Coluccio is 4-1 with a 5.07 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 49.2 innings, and Christian Rice (5-0, 4.08 ERA) boasts a .194 opponents' batting average and has recorded 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings this spring. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2017 regionals 
•    RIT (24-13) has won five of its last six games and defeated Hobart in the championship game of the Liberty League Tournament 17-5 last Saturday. 
•    Evan Kurtz was 4-for-5 with three doubles, six RBI and three runs scored, Jackson Rusiecki went 3-for-4 with four RBI and Ryan Merkov struck out four over 5.0 shutout innings of relief for the Tigers, who pulled away with a six-run fourth inning. 
•    Trent Rapp is batting .386 with six homers, 12 doubles, 31 RBI and 50 runs scored, Rusiecki is hitting .368 with five home runs, 12 doubles, a team-high 41 RBI and 32 runs scored, and Jarin Moses enters the tournament with a .345 average to go along with seven home runs, 13 doubles, 35 RBI and 32 runs scored. 
•    Ryan Moran (7-0, 1.93 ERA) boasts a 0.96 WHIP, is holding opposing hitters to a .199 average and has 29 strikeouts in 46.2 innings, Dylan Joseph (6-0, 2.06 ERA) has a 0.88 WHIP and a .184 opponents' batting average to go along with 41 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched, and Merkov is 2-0 with 3.71 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 34.0 innings over 12 appearances on the year. 

BABSON IN THE POSTSEASON
•    In four NCAA Tournament appearances since 2017 under the direction of head coach Matt Noone, the Beavers have won 13 games while reaching the College World Series in 2019 and making regional final appearances in both 2017 and 2018. 
•    Babson advanced to the 2017 Harwich Regional final before falling to UMass Boston and came within a game of winning the York (Pa.) Regional in 2018 by winning its first three games before being defeated twice by Misericordia. 
•    The Green and White broke through in 2019 though capturing the Hartford Regional with a victory over Trinity before sweeping Cortland in a best-of-three super regional at Govoni Field to reach the College World Series for the first time. 
•    The Beavers hosted one of 16 regionals in 2024 but went 0-2 falling to Mitchell 4-3 in their opener before being eliminated with a 7-3 loss to UMass Dartmouth. 

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HEROICS
•    Vyse, who was selected as the NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, made a pair of starts going 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 15 strikeouts against just two walks over 16.0 innings pitched. 
•    Teator batted .529 (9-for-17) with two home runs, a double, 11 RBI and seven runs scored at the dish in addition to striking out four and allowing just one hit over 2.0 innings out of the bullpen on the way to recording a pair of saves. 
•    Finkelstein struck out six and gave up just two runs over 8.0 innings as the Beavers rallied for a  3-2 win at Wheaton last Friday. 
•    Liss batted .500 (6-for-12) with a pair of doubles, six RBI and a go-ahead two-run homer in last Saturday's 7-5 victory over No. 4/4 Salve Regina, while sophomore Gabe Harmon hit his first career homer, a two-run shot, in last Saturday's victory over the Seahawks.

THREE EARN ALL-NEWMAC HONORS
•    Finkelstein and graduate student Ryan Grace were both named to the all-conference first team, while Valente garnered all-league second-team accolades when the NEWMAC announced its postseason awards on Wednesday. 
•    Grace, who has missed the last five games, hit .370, slugged .611 and had a 1.111 OPS to go along with three homers, four doubles, 13 RBI and 13 runs scored in 15 conference games, while Valente batted .358 with three extra-base hits and led the Beavers in RBI (18), hits (24), runs scored (21) and stolen bases (7) in league play. 
•    Finkelstein, who was an All-NEWMAC second-team selection last season, made seven appearances on the bump going 4-1 with a 2.75 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 33 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .186 average in 39.1 innings pitched. 

TURNING TWO
•    Babson a season-high four double plays in last Sunday's NEWMAC Championship game win over Salve Regina and recorded seven twin killings in four conference tournament games last week.
•    The Beavers rank second in Division III in both double plays (45) and double plays per game (1.10) behind only Kean (N.J.). 
•    Babson's 45 double plays this season are its most since turning 45 on the way to reaching the College World Series in 2019 and just one shy of the single-season record set back in 2016.  

STARTING PITCHING SETTING THE TONE
•    In 10 games going back to April 25, four Babson starting pitchers have combined to go 8-0 with a 3.24 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 67 strikeouts against just 14 walks in 75.0 innings. 
•    Finkelstein is 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 23.0 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .217 average in his three starts during this stretch, while Vyse is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 24.0 innings, and boasts a .200 opponents' batting average. 
•    Carrea is 2-0 in three starts with a 5.14 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 21.0 innings, and senior Connor Doan won his lone start at Keene State back on April 26, striking out three and giving up four runs over 7.0 innings. 

MOVING UP THE CHARTS
•    Teator passed both Travis Jonasson '12 and Justin Guest '25 when he was hit by a pitch for the 17th time to set a new single-season record in the ninth inning of last Saturday's win over Salve Regina. 
•    Teator also became the first Babson closer to record five or more saves in three seasons on the final day of the regular season against WPI. His 19 career saves are just one shy of the program record of 20 achieved by Matt Cuneo '18 from 2015-18, and his seven saves this year are tied for second on Babson's single-season list with Max Tannenbaum '19 (2019). 
•    Finkelstein's 16 career wins are tied for fourth on the program's all-time list with Sam Whelan '08 and Jeff Heighington '04, while his 136 strikeouts are good for ninth on the Beavers' career list. He needs just three to pass Whelan, Bill Fitzgerald '03 and Tristen Spalter '24 M'25 to move up to sixth all-time. 
•    Grace's nine home runs are tied for fifth on the program's single-season list and are the most since Brant Savage '24 M'25 hit 11 back in 2023. 
•    Sophomore Dylan Drazka enters the regional tied for sixth on the single-season list with 18 stolen bases and also is eighth with 30 walks this spring. 

BEAVER BITES
•    Teator, who is batting .469 over the last 10 games, owns a 10-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 18 consecutive starts. 
•    Valente has at least one hit in 15 of the last 16 games and has reached base safely, has reached base safely in 31 of the last 32 contests. 
•    D'Avanzo has at least one hit and one RBI in 12 of the Beavers' last 14 contests. 
•    Harmon enters the regional with a hit in three straight games, while Drazka has reached base safely in each of his last six starts. 
•    Grace leads the team with 15 multi-hit and 13 multi-RBI games, Valente is second on the squad with 13 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games, and Teator and Liss have both knocked in two or more runs eight times on the year.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
•    The Beavers are 15-8 in road and neutral games this spring. 
•    Babson is 18-1 on the year when its starting pitcher goes at least 6.0 innings. 
•    The Green and White is 18-2 when allowing five runs or fewer. 
•    The Beavers are 21-5 when scoring at least six runs and 19-2 when it finishes with 10 or more hits. 
•    Babson is 23-2 on the year when leading after seven innings. 
•    The Green and White is 6-4 in one-run games and 9-5 in games decided by either one or two runs. 
•    The Beavers have made either zero or one error in 10 consecutive games going back to April 25.