We are down to our final conference, the NEWMAC. Most will probably assume that I have saved the best for last and they have probably assumed correctly. The NEWMAC looks to be the most competitive conference in New England in 2012 with three teams in the hunt for not the only the conference title but a regional title as well. Wheaton has dominated the conference scene since they joined in the late 90′s and I see that continuing this season.
Click ahead to see how I think the NEWMAC will shake out this year.
1. MIT- The Engineers have one of the best pitching staffs in the region and that will help them navigate a very tough conference schedule. Aric Dama is a dominant left-hander and Henry Zhu brings experience out of the bullpen. If Kiel Jindra can match his freshman-year performance and the Engineers can score some runs, watch out.
2. Wheaton- The Lyons have the best team in the region in my opinion. They bring back all five of their starting pitchers and their closer Ryan Grant. Offensively, Wheaton boasts one of, if not the best, top players in the region in third baseman Dan Haugh. Add Eric Jensen and Hal Landers to the mix and that is not only a great offensive lineup but a very good defensive lineup.
3. Babson- Filling the holes that Dave Ahern and Andrew Aizenstadt leave won’t be easy but the Beavers have more than reloaded. Chris Kucher is one of the top power threats in the conference and Billy Miller brings a great deal of veteran leadership to this team. On the mound, Michael Bortolotti and Kyle Lyon will be a formidable 1-2 and the Beavers will also look to Matt Grenier to be superb on the hill. Grenier went 6-0 as a freshman last spring at Becker.
4. Coast Guard- Look out for the Bears to be a sleeper team in the NEWMAC. Their conference weekend rotation is as good as anyone’s, featuring Derek Petty, Riley Beecher and Nate Toll (a combined 12 wins last year). Waiting in the ninth inning is one of the region’s top closers, Tyler Vieira. Eddie Kalankiewicz and Mike Massaro will be the offensive sparks for a Bears team that took Babson to 10 innings in last year’s NEWMAC title game. They’ll have a say in who wins this year that’s for sure.
5. WPI- Led by the return of their top two hitters and staff ace, the Engineers have an opportunity to be a factor in the NEWMAC once again. Sean Minor was a First Team All-NEWMAC selection last season and can match any teams’ top pitcher. Daniel Thomas will need to duplicate his numbers at the plate from last season and Nick Bean needs to be the senior leader.
6. Springfield- After only winning 11 games last seasons, the Pride’s youth will help them succeed in 2012. Travis Lane and Alex Williams both pitched well as rookies last season and will be asked to be even better as sophomores. Frank Calabrese returns to an offense that will show signs of improvement.
7. Clark- The Cougars lost their top hitter and their three top pitchers to graduation and will need to fill those voids. Nicholas Kellogg and Shawn Lamothe will give the Cougars plenty of offense but Andrew LeBlanc will need to match his win total of four last year if they want to compete for a conference title.
Playoffs
Coast Guard gives MIT all it can handle in the first round but the Engineers advance. The Wheaton-Babson first-rounder will be one of the best games all season with Wheaton scratching a run across late. Round two between MIT and Wheaton will be even better than round one and will be a pitchers duel. MIT takes it to move to the championship round but Wheaton’s depth carries them to a rematch and two victories over the Engineers.
Player of the Year- Dan Haugh (Wheaton)
Pitcher of the Year- Aric Dama (MIT)
Coach of the Year- Andy Barlow (MIT)
