Sports stats



NECBL New England Collegiate Baseball League

Eight-Team Bracket Set for 2023 NECBL Playoffs

July 30, 2023 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release


NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Eight teams have punched their ticket to the 2023 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) postseason and will continue their quest for the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup. The playoffs include the regular season champion from the North, West and Coastal Divisions, along with five Wild Card teams. This year marks the first season with this expanded postseason format.

The postseason kicks off with the Quarterfinals Series, which begins on Monday, July 31, with the top four seeds (including all three division winners) facing seeds 5-8 in the opening of a best-of-three series. Games one and three (if necessary) will be played at the higher seed's home field, while game two will be played at the opponent's home field.

Each winner from the Quarterfinals Series will advance to the Semifinals Series, which is set to begin on Thursday, August 3 in the same best-of-three format. The highest remaining seed will have home field advantage against the lowest remaining seed while the second best seed will also have home field advantage. The Championship Series is set up the same, with the winner being crowned the 2023 Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup Champions.

Monday night's opening game between Newport and Ocean State will be aired exclusively on ESPN Plus.

All other games in the 2023 NECBL Postseason can be streamed live on the NECBL Broadcast Network.

2023 NECBL Postseason Seeding

#1 - Newport Gulls (Coastal Division Champion)

Newport had the league's best record for virtually the entire regular season, clinching the Coastal Division with a six game lead over the second place Mystic Schooners. The Gulls began the season with a 9-1 start and never looked back, posting a 20-4 record by the midway point of the season. Their longest win streak was eight games. Newport finished the season just one win shy of the 2016 Newport Gulls for the regular season wins record.

Newport's last trip to the Championship Series came back in 2014 when it won the Fay Vincent Cup. The Gulls currently lead all teams with six total championships, the most recent in 2014.

#2 - Vermont Mountaineers (North Division Champion)

The Mountaineers are a top-two team for the second season in a row, and are looking to return to the Championship series for the second straight season and the seventh time in franchise history. Vermont has won three titles during that span.

With three straight wins to open the season and then a 7-game win streak in June, the Mountaineers got off to an 11-3 record out of the gate. They dropped their final three games against Sanford to open the door for the Mainers to threaten for the division, but still won 7 of their final 11 games and were able to hold on for their fourth division crown.

#3 - Valley Blue Sox (West Division Champion)

Valley clinched the West Division crown with an 8-7 victory over the Keene SwampBats on Sunday, and they will make their first postseason appearance since 2018, when they won their second of back-to-back NECBL Championship. This will be the fourth playoff trip for the franchise in their current status as the Blue Sox, and the ninth overall in the franchise's history. Their only championship wins came with those consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018.

The Blue Sox closed the season with seven wins and a tie in their last ten games to cap off a second half surge that propelled them to a top-three seed. They were also bolstered by a stretch around the fourth of July that saw them go 6-1, including double-header sweeps of both Vermont and Upper Valley.

#4 - Mystic Schooners (First Wild Card)

Mystic started the season with a 2-5 record but won six straight games to put them back in contention. Their season-high seven-game win streak gave the Schooners a 19-10 record through July 13, but the Newport Gulls continued to lead the Coastal Division throughout the entire regular season. Despite a 5-5 record in their last 10 games, the Schooners were still able to clinch the first wild card spot and secure home field advantage in the Opening Round against the Sanford Mainers.

Mystic's last trip to the Championship Series came back in 2016 when it won the Fay Vincent Cup, which remains its only championship.

#5 - Sanford Mainers (Second Wild Card)

The Mainers return to the playoffs for the 17th time in franchise history, thanks to winning ten games since July 14th to launch themselves into the title race. Sanford won their last ten games against North Division opponents, finishing the season with a 14-7 record in their division, though they eventually came up just short of unseating Vermont.

Sanford won NECBL titles in their first two appearances in the Championship Series, defeating Newport in 2004 and 2008. The Gulls got the best of them in 2014, and so did the Mystic Schooners in 2016 in Sanford's other trips to the title round.

#6 - Bristol Blues (Third Wild Card)

The Blues were in contention for the West Division championship until the final day of the season, but instead settled for a Wild Card berth to claim their third straight postseason appearance since joining the NECBL in 2021.

Bristol is still looking for their first trip to the NECBL Championship series. The Blues were the #2 seed last year after tying the record for wins in a season, and got a bye into the semifinals, but were knocked out by eventual league champions Martha's Vineyard.

#7 - Danbury Westerners (Fourth Wild Card)

The Westerners got off to a 4-8 start to the season but managed to hover around .500 after a four-game winning streak put them at 17-17 on July 17. Danbury went 5-5 in its final 10 games and finished the season on a four-game losing streak but still managed to clinch the seventh seed with a 12-9 divisional record on the season.

Danbury currently has four Championship Series appearances, winning the Fay Vincent Cup for the first time in 2019 when it defeated the North Shore Navigators.

#8 - Ocean State Waves (Fifth Wild Card)

Ocean State had an 0-3 start to the season but quickly rebounded with a six-game winning streak. The Waves battled their way through a competitive Coastal Division, finishing with a 14-14 divisional record. In the final week of the regular season Ocean State was briefly pushed out of a playoff spot by the Martha's Vineyard Sharks, but was able to complete a doubleheader sweep against the Sharks on July 29 to reclaim the eighth and final playoff seed.

Ocean State has appeared in two Championship Series but has yet to win the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup, coming up short in back-to-back seasons against the Valley Blue Sox in 2017 and 2018.

Opening Round Matchups

#1 Newport Gulls vs #8 Ocean State Waves

***The Monday, July 31, 6:35 p.m. game at Cardines Field in Newport (Game 1) will be broadcasted exclusively on ESPN+

The Gulls and Waves faced off seven times in the regular season, with Newport winning the Pell Bridge Series five games to two. Newport went undefeated at home, outscoring the Waves 21-6 across three games.

#2 Vermont Mountaineers vs #7 Danbury Westerners

The Mountaineers swept the season series three games to none, two of which were played in Danbury at Rogers Park. Their latest victory was a 7-3 home victory on July 5. Vermont has outscored Danbury 28-7 on the season.

#3 Valley Blue Sox vs #6 Bristol Blues

After the Blue Sox beat out Bristol for the division crown, the West Division rivals will meet in the first round of the playoffs. Bristol compiled a 3-1-2 record against the Blue Sox during the regular season, including a 10-4 victory in Holyoke two days ago.

#4 Mystic Schooners vs #5 Sanford Mainers

The runners-up in the North and Coastal Divisions will face off in a 4-5 matchup. The two teams faced off just twice during the regular season, and split the series, with the road team winning each time. Mystic collected a 3-0 win in Sanford on July 24th, while Sanford came to Muzzy Field on June 21st and picked up a 7-5 victory.

2023 NECBL Playoff Schedule

Monday, July 31 - Wednesday, August 2: Quarterfinals Series (best-of-three format - top four seeds host games one and three, if necessary)

Thursday, August 3 - Saturday, August 5: Semifinals Series (best-of-three format - two highest remaining seeds host games one and three, if necessary)

Sunday, August 6 - Tuesday, August 8: Championship Series (best-of-three format, Final Four winners - higher seed hosts games one and three, if necessary)

The NECBL congratulates its eight member franchises that made it to the postseason and wish them nothing but the best in their quest for the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup!

The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 225 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.

• Discuss this story on the New England Collegiate Baseball League message board...

New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 30, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central