2024 NECBL Playoffs Set with Eight-Team Bracket
July 31, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The 2024 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) regular season is officially over and eight teams have advanced to compete for the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup. The bracket includes each regular season divisional champion: Newport (Coastal), Vermont (North) and Bristol (West). It also contains five wildcard teams: Keene, Martha's Vineyard, Mystic, Sanford and Valley.
The seedings are as follows:
1. Vermont Mountaineers
2. Newport Gulls
3. Bristol Blues
4. Sanford Mainers
5. Keene SwampBats
6. Mystic Schooners
7. Valley Blue Sox
8. Martha's Vineyard Sharks
The postseason begins on Thursday, August 1 with best-of-three quarterfinal matchups. The top four seeds compete against the bottom four. Games one and three (if necessary) are played at the higher seed's home field and game two will be played at the lower seed's stadium.
The winner from each quarterfinal series advances to the semifinal series, which begins Sunday, August 4 and is the same best-of-three format. The highest seeds continue to have a home-field advantage. The 2024 Championship begins on Wednesday, August 7 and is a best-of-three series.
Read below to find which matchups will be streamed on ESPN+ and the NECBL Network powered by HudlTV. The Championship Series can be viewed on ESPN+.
Here are the first-round matchups for the 2024 postseason.
#1 Vermont Mountaineers vs #8 Martha's Vineyard Sharks
Vermont held reign as the league's best team for the majority of the season, posting two nine-game win streaks and cruising to the North Division title. The Mountaineers were the lone team in the NECBL to reach the 30-win mark, finishing 30-11. Meanwhile, Martha's Vineyard dug themselves out of an early 2-8 start, finishing with a 20-22 record to earn the #8 seed. The two teams played twice in the regular season and the Mountaineers swept the doubleheader on July 22. Game one is set for Thursday night at Montpelier Recreation Field at 6:30 PM, and can be viewed on ESPN+.
#2 Newport Gulls vs #7 Valley Blue Sox
Newport started the season hot, posting a 10-5 record in their first 15 games, finishing with a 27-16 record to clinch the Coastal Division title. The Gulls tallied an impressive 20-8 record against their divisional rivals to pull away later in the season. Valley was in the mix for the West Division title the entire season, holding pace with the Blues, coming up short but earning the #7 seed at 21-22. In the regular season, the Gulls and Blue Sox met twice for a doubleheader in Newport where they split the two games. Game one is scheduled for Thursday night at Cardines Field at 6:30 and you can watch the action on ESPN+.
#3 Bristol Blues vs #6 Mystic Schooners
In the battle for Connecticut supremacy, Bristol will have a home-field advantage over Mystic for their first-round series. The Blues were in a tight race with the Blue Sox for the West Division crown all season, finishing strong on a five-game winning streak to clinch the division and finish 25-18. Meanwhile the Schooners posted an important 8-2 stretch at the end of June to push themselves into a playoff position, finishing 23-20 and holding serve to earn the #6 seed. The Blues won both matchups during the regular season. Game one is Thursday night at Muzzy Field at 6:30 PM and can be streamed on the NECBL Network powered by HudlTV.
#4 Sanford Mainers vs #5 Keene SwampBats
The last matchup of the first round features a North Division tilt between Sanford and Keene. The Mainers closed out the regular season red hot, posting an 11-game winning streak before Tuesday night's game to pull ahead of the SwampBats, finishing 26-18. The SwampBats held steady all season, powering their way to the postseason with the long ball as they led the league in total home runs with 53 home runs, finishing with an identical record of 26-18. The division rivals clashed eight times in the regular season, with the Mainers winning seven times. Game one will be Thursday night at Goodall Park at 6:30 PM and you can stream the game on the NECBL Network powered by HudlTV.
The NECBL will not utilize the international tiebreaker rule in the postseason. Extra innings will not begin with a runner on second base and end after two innings.
2024 Playoff Schedule:
Thursday, August 1 - Saturday, August 3: Quarterfinals Series (best-of-three format - top four seeds host games one and three, if necessary)
Sunday, August 4 - Tuesday, Aug 6: Semifinals Series (best-of-three format - two highest remaining seeds host games one and three, if necessary)
Wednesday, August 7 - Friday, August 9: Championship Series (best-of-three format, Final Four winners - higher seed hosts games one and three, if necessary)
The NECBL congratulates its eight franchises that made it to the postseason and wish them the best in their quest for the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup!
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