WESTFIELD – The Salem State Vikings have been selected to win the 2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championship as voted on by the coaches from around the league.
Reigning 2015 MASCAC Tournament Champions Salem State finished with seven first place votes for 49 points in this year’s poll. Richard Fecteau is back for his senior season after leading the Vikings to share of the MASCAC Regular Season crown with a 10-4 record in league play. He finished with a .363 batting average, 31 RBI and 18 doubles during the 2015 season while also earning a spot on the All-Conference team.
All-Conference outfielder Danny DiMatteo and the Westfield State Owls have been picked second in the MASCAC preseason poll. (Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports)
Coming in second with 35 points is Westfield State. Last season the Owls finished the regular season with a 6-8 record in conference play. Back in the outfield for the squad is the All-Conference duo of Danny DiMatteo and Dan McCormack. Dimatteo had a .372 batting average with 11 doubles, five tripls and 22 RBI with nine stolen bases while McCormack hit at a .309 clip with nine doubles and 18 RBI.
Sitting tied for third with 34 points are Massachusetts Maritime, who earned the final first place vote, and Worcester State. The Buccaneers and Lancers each won a share of last year’s regular season title with a 10-4 conference record. Coming back for Massachusetts Maritime is reigning MASCAC Player and Rookie of the Year Logan Sullo who was first in the league in batting average (.446) and slugging percentage (.797) while also tallying 18 RBI. Adam Barry is back for Worcester State after tallying a .362 batting average, second-most RBI in the league with 36 and 54 hits.
Framingham State is up next in fifth place with 28 points. The Rams tallied a 7-7 in MASCAC play last season. Reigning MASCAC Pitcher of the Year Zach Kirby is back for the team after leading the conference in wins (7), strikeouts (106) complete games (7) and shutouts (3). He was also third in the league in ERA (1.38).
Landing in the sixth spot is Fitchburg State with 21 points. The Falcons netted five wins during the 2015 MASCAC campaign. Brendan Cutler returns for the squad after batting .277, with 13 RBI and seven stolen bases last season to earn a spot on the MASCAC All-Conference Team.
Rounding out the preseason poll in sixth and seventh are Bridgewater State and MCLA with 16 and 7 points, respectively. The Bears had five wins in conference play last year while the Trailblazers finished with three victories. Returning for Bridgewater State is Travis Ritchie who led the team in batting average (.343) while also knocking in four doubles, two triples and seven home runs on his way to earning a spot on the All-Conference squad. For MCLA, Todd Hunt is back after registering a 3-1 record on the mound with 28 strikeouts and a complete game for the Trailblazers.
The MASCAC baseball season gets its start on Saturday when Fitchburg State and Massachusetts Maritime hit the diamond for their opening day contests.
2016 MASCAC Baseball Pre-Season Coaches Poll
(First Place Votes In Parentheses)
1. Salem State (7) 49 points
2. Westfield State 35 points
T3. Mass. Maritime (1) 34 points
T3. Worcester State 34 points
T5. Framingham State 28 points
T5. Fitchburg State 21 points
6. Bridgewater State 16 points
7. MCLA 7 points
Release courtesy of the MASCAC – Link http://www.mascac.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/releases/BSB_Preseason
