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NECBL New England Collegiate Baseball League

NECBL Wild Card Preview: Newport vs Sanford, Vineyard vs Mystic

August 1, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release


SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The 2022 NECBL Postseason begins tonight with a pair of winner-take-all Wild Card Games.

The two winners will advance to the semi-finals, where they will face the #1 seed Vermont Mountaineers or the #2 seed Bristol Blues in a three-game-series as they continue their quest for the Fay Vincent Cup.

#3 Newport Gulls vs #6 Sanford Mainers

The third-seeded Newport Gulls (30-14, Coastal Division Winner) host the six-seeded Sanford Mainers (22-22, Third Wild Card) at Cardines Field on Monday, August 1, at 6:35 PM.

The Gulls and Mainers split their two-game regular season series this year. In their first meeting, Newport traveled to Goodall Park, home of the Mainers, and won 8-3. Gulls' outfielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (Rutgers) had three RBIs in the victory and Newport held Sanford to just three hits. A week later, the Mainers returned the favor, winning on the road at Cardines Field 6-4. Sanford's Quinn McDaniel (Maine) hit a grand slam to lift the Mainers over the Gulls.

Newport edged Martha's Vineyard by one game to clinch the Coastal Division. The Gulls ended the season on a three-game win streak and were 7-3 in their last ten contests.

Offensively, Mississippi State duo Colton Ledbetter and Slate Alford led the three-seed. Ledbetter ended the season with a .365 average, was tied for the league home run lead with eleven and led the NECBL with forty-seven RBIs. Alford didn't stray far from his college teammate, ending with a .346 batting average and forty RBIs. The Bulldogs helped Newport lead the league in runs (291), batting average (.282) and homers (48). On the mound, the Gulls had the league's fifth-best team ERA (3.77). Starters Kevin Seitter (Quinnipiac) and Logan McGuire (Georgia Tech) led Newport's staff. Both righties had sub-two ERAs, each striking out forty-four batters. Seitter threw thirty-five innings during the regular season while McGuire pitched twenty-nine. Newport's last appearance in the Championship Series was in 2014 when it won the Fay Vincent Cup. The Gulls lead all teams with six championships.

Sanford clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, downing Keene 4-2 to improve to .500 and lock up the third Wild Card. After winning just one of their first ten games. Sanford won twenty-one of their final thirty-four games to make the playoffs. The sixth seed enters the postseason with a 6-4 record in their last ten games.

The Mainers shined on the mound during the regular season, ranking third in the NECBL in team ERA (3.67). The Mainers also had a top-five opponent batting average (.222) and held opponents to the lowest slugging percentage of any team (.292). Brothers Brady Afthim (Connecticut) and Bryce Afthim (Southern Maine) led Sanford's pitching staff. Brady, a reliever, pitched to a 0.67 ERA in almost twenty-seven innings. Bryce, the Mainers number one starter, had a 1.00 ERA over almost forty-five innings. Despite struggling offensively, scoring just the second-least runs all season (198), the Mainers excelled on the basepaths. They ranked top-five in the league in total stolen bases (81). Sanford was led by Quinn McDaniel (Maine), who ended the season with a .308 average, eight homers and thirty RBIs. The Mainers last made the Championship Series in 2016 when they lost to Mystic. They are two-time Fay Vincent Cup champions, the latest coming in 2008.

If Newport beats Sanford, the Gulls head to Bristol for the Final Four beginning tomorrow. If Sanford reigns victorious, it heads to Vermont to start its next series against the Mountaineers tomorrow.

#4 Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs #5 Mystic Schooners

The number four Martha's Vineyard Sharks (First Wild Card, 29-15) host the fifth-ranked Mystic Schooners (Second Wild Card, 23-21) on Monday, August 1st, at 7:00 PM at The Shark Tank.

The two teams, who both come from the Coastal Division, faced off six times during the regular season and split the series at three games apiece. The Sharks and Schooners split their first two games, with each team winning at home. Mystic won the next two matchups, 7-2 and 3-1 on the road. Schooners' outfielder Anthony Donofrio (Quinnipiac) had five hits over the two contests. The Sharks responded, winning the last two matchups by a combined thirteen runs at Dodd Memorial Stadium. Martha's Vineyard tallied twenty-six hits between the two games and Sharks catcher Thomas Bramley (Penn St) had six hits and three RBIs.

Martha's Vineyard narrowly lost the Coastal Division race by just one game to Newport. The Sharks won twenty-two of their final twenty-nine games to secure the first Wild Card spot. Vineyard is 8-2 in its last ten matchups, making it the hottest team entering the playoffs.

Pitching and offensive consistency helped the Sharks throughout the regular season. Martha's Vineyard ranked fourth in the NECBL in team ERA (3.69) and third in opponent batting average (.221). Relievers Camron Hill (Georgia Tech, 0.75 ERA) and Alejandro Torres (Miami (FL), 1.28 ERA) ended as two of the best in the league. Offensively, the Sharks ranked second in team batting average (.274) and third in total runs (256). A large part of their success connects to third baseman Michael Snyder (Washington), who led the NECBL in batting average (.406). Martha's Vineyard's last trip to the Championship Series came in 2019 when it was runners-up to the Keene Swamp Bats. Vineyard has never won a Fay Vincent Cup.

Mystic placed third in the Coastal Division, but its 23-21 record was enough to clinch the five seed and the second Wild Card spot. The Schooners hold the longest active streak in the postseason, appearing in the playoffs for their ninth straight season. Mystic hit a rough patch towards the end of the season, winning just three of its final ten games.

The Schooners were led by their pitching staff, which ranked seventh in the NECBL in team ERA (4.11). Mystic also ranked sixth in total runs allowed (208). Starters Jonathan Gonzalez (Stetson) and Matthew Nunan (Boston College) propelled the Schooners to the playoffs. Both pitchers opened six games and posted sub-three ERAs. Despite ranking in the bottom five in multiple offensive categories, outfielder Kevin Ferrer (Connecticut) had one of the most consistent regular seasons in the entire league. The Husky ended with a .354 average and twenty-seven RBIs in thirty-four games. Mystic last appeared in the Championship Series in 2016 when it won it all. That is currently the only Schooners championship.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 1, 2022


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