NECBL New England Collegiate Baseball League

The Quest for the Fay Vincent Cup Comes Down to Two

August 5, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release


SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The 2022 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Championship Series begins tonight when top-seeded Vermont takes on fourth-seeded Martha's Vineyard. The series will be a best-of-three games, with the Mountaineers hosting games one and three (if necessary). The winner will hoist the Fay Vincent Cup as the 2022 NECBL Champions.

The Mountaineers and Sharks faced off twice during the regular season, with the home team winning each time. Vermont took the first meeting 8-2 in both teams' second game of the season. Mountaineers third baseman Ben Williamson (William & Mary) had three hits and three RBIs in the victory. Vineyard won the second matchup, downing Vermont 13-7. Four different Sharks had two or more hits. Logan Chambers (Tennessee) and Cavan Brady (Wheaton) each had three hits while Aiden Tierney (Mt St Mary's) added four RBIs.

Vermont secured the regular season title and the number one seed after running away with the North Division, clinching the division crown with more than ten games left. The Mountaineers tied the 2006 Newport Gulls for the most wins in a single regular season with thirty-two. This year's Bristol Blues squad also tied the record, but Vermont won the one seed by virtue of a tiebreaker. The Mountaineers had the best record in the league for virtually the entire campaign and were the last undefeated team remaining after starting the year 8-0.

Throughout the regular season, Vermont dominated opponents. The Mountaineers ranked second in the NECBL in runs (283) and third in batting average (.260). Their offense was led by Gerry Siracusa (Massachusetts Lowell), who batted a team high .330 with eighteen RBIs. The top-seed also posted the second-best team ERA (3.29) and fourth most strikeouts (408). Their entire staff was consistent, as fourteen different pitchers had sub-four ERAs. Reliever Brendan McFall (Tufts) posted an impressive 1.14 ERA over almost twenty-four innings.

The Mountaineers had a bye through the Wild Card Round before facing sixth-seeded Sanford in the semifinals. Vermont beat Sanford 8-3 in Game 1 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The Mountaineers scored all their runs in the second and third innings. Three different Vermont batters had two-hit games. The Mainers shut out the Mountaineers 5-0 in Game 2 at home to tie the series, with Vermont mustering just two hits. Sanford's victory forced a winner-take-all Game 3 back in Vermont, which the Mountaineers won 8-4. A four-run eighth inning propelled the home team to the Championship Series. Outfielder Tom Ruscitti (Fairleigh Dickinson) drove in all four runs in the eighth with a grand slam.

Nic Notarangelo (Endicott) and Ruscitti have led the Mountaineers offense in the playoffs thus far. Notarangelo (.333 avg) leads the team with four hits while adding an RBI and three runs scored. Ruscitti (.333 avg) has three hits and leads the team in postseason RBIs with four. The Mountaineers are averaging over five runs per game in the playoffs.

Vermont's last trip to the Championship Series came back in 2015, when it won it all. The Mountaineers have reached the finals five times and are three-time Fay Vincent Cup champions.

The Sharks reached the postseason as a Wild Card team after finishing one game behind Newport in the Coastal Division. Martha's Vineyard secured the first Wild Card spot with a 29-15 record. The Sharks won twenty-two of their final twenty-nine games and were 8-2 in their last ten regular season contests. They were the hottest team entering the playoffs and have continued their momentum in the postseason.

In the regular season, Martha's Vineyard was consistent on both sides. The Sharks ranked fourth in the NECBL in team ERA (3.69) and third in opponent batting average (.221), with relievers Camron Hill (Georgia Tech, 0.75 ERA) and Alejandro Torres (Miami (FL), 1.28 ERA) leading the way. Offensively, the Sharks ranked second in team batting average (.274) and third in total runs (256) with the help of third baseman Michael Snyder (Washington), who led the NECBL in batting average (.406).

Martha's Vineyard faced off against the fifth-seeded Mystic Schooners at home in the Wild Card Round. After going down 4-0 through an inning and a half, Vineyard scored six of the last seven runs. The Sharks entered the top of the ninth up one but allowed the Schooners to tie things up at five. After a scoreless tenth inning, Martha's Vineyard walked it off on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eleventh to win 6-5. Infielder Danny Crossen (Northeastern) was dominant, going four-for-five with two homers, three RBIs and three runs scored.

The Sharks faced the second-seeded Bristol Blues, who also tied the NECBL record for the most wins in a regular season, in the semifinals. Martha's Vineyard swept the series, winning handedly in both games. The Sharks downed the Blues 10-3 in Tuesday's Game 1 in Bristol. Vineyard went down 2-0 in the first but blew out the Blues the rest of the way. Sharks center fielder Logan Chambers (Tennessee) ended with two hits, two runs and four RBIs. Martha's Vineyard again dominated in Game 2, winning 13-4 at home to complete the sweep. Thomas Bramley and Michael Snyder each individually recorded two hits and four RBIs.

In the playoffs, Crossen, Chambers and Bramley have all been red-hot. All three are batting over .400. Chambers (.429 avg) leads the team in RBIs with six. Bramley (.400 avg) has driven in four Sharks while Crossen (.462 avg) has three RBIs. Martha's Vineyard has outscored opponents twenty-seven to twelve in the postseason. The Sharks have scored more runs than any team in the playoffs so far.

Martha's Vineyard's only trip to the Championship Series came in 2019 when it was runners-up to the Keene Swamp Bats. The Sharks are seeking their first Fay Vincent Cup in franchise history.

All games of the NECBL Championship series can be watched live on the NECBL Broadcast Network.

2022 NECBL Championship Series Schedule

Friday, August 5 - 6:30 PM, Montpelier Recreation Field, Montpelier, VT

Saturday, August 6 - 7:00 PM, The Shark Tank, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Sunday, August 7* - 6:30 PM, Montpelier Recreation Field, Montpelier, VT

*If Necessary

Past NECBL Champions

2021 - Danbury Westerners

2020 - Season Cancelled Due to Covid

2019 - Keene SwampBats

2018 - Valley Blue Sox

2017 - Valley Blue Sox

2016 - Mystic Schooners

2015 - Vermont Mountaineers

2014 - Newport Gulls

2013 - Keene SwampBats

2012 - Newport Gulls

2011 - Keene SwampBats

2010 - North Shore Navigators

2009 - Newport Gulls

2008 - Sanford Mainers

2007 - Vermont Mountaineers

2006 - Vermont Mountaineers

2005 - Newport Gulls

2004 - Sanford Mainers

2003 - Keene SwampBats

2002 - Newport Gulls

2001 - Newport Gulls

2000 - Keene SwampBats

1999 - Middletown Giants (Now North Shore Navigators)

1998 - Middletown Giants

1997 - Middletown Giants

1996 - Central Mass Collegians (Defunct)

1995 - Central Mass Collegians

1994 - Eastern Tides (Now Mystic Schooners)



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 5, 2022


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