Baseball Seeded Second In 2016 MASCAC Championships, Hosts Second Round Contest Friday Afternoon
The Massachusetts Maritime baseball team has qualified for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference championships for the third time in four seasons, as the Buccaneers will begin their quest for the program’s first league post-season title on Friday, May 6th in the double elimination format of the tournament that will last through the weekend.
Head Coach Mike Kelley’s squad, which finished regular-season play by reaching the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in school history, is seeded second in this year’s championships and will host the winner of Thursday’s single elimination opening round contest between third-seeded Fitchburg State and sixth-seeded Framingham State on Friday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
The tournament continues on Saturday, May 7th at Salem State’s Central Campus Field in Salem, Mass., as an elimination game will be played at 9:30 a.m. EDT followed by the winner’s bracket contest at 12:30 p.m. EDT. A second elimination game will conclude Saturday’s action at 4:30 p.m. EDT, and the 2016 MASCAC championship round is set for Sunday, May 8th at Salem State beginning at Noon EDT. If a second championship game is necessary on Sunday, it will begin at Central Campus Field approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.
Kelley’s crew is paced at the plate by sophomore catcher Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass./Bishop Stang), as the reigning MASCAC Player of the Year is batting .429 with 16 extra base hits (including five homers) and 25 RBI. Sullo, an all-New England and ABCA all-region honoree as a freshman in 2015, also leads Massachusetts Maritime with a .531 on-base percentage and a .735 slugging percentage. Sophomore outfielder Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass./Pope John Paul II) follows at .384 with 10 doubles, a homer and 20 RBI, as the two-time conference Player of the Week boasts a .445 on-base percentage to go with a .535 slugging percentage.
Junior second baseman Jake Petruzzelli (Abington, Mass./South Shore Voke) checks in at a .343 clip with eight doubles and 15 RBI for the Buccaneers, while sophomore Cobie Gerbis (Holmes Beach, Fla./Tampa Catholic) has started 16 games in the infield and sports a .339 batting average with three doubles and 10 runs driven in. As a team, Massachusetts Maritime is batting .299 overall with 73 extra base hits, including 53 doubles and 13 triples.
On the mound, Kelley has a veteran pitching corps to turn to both in the rotation and in relief. Senior Kevin Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) has posted a 4-1 mark with a 2.57 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) this spring for the Buccaneers, while junior Daniel Avery (Milford, Mass./Blackstone Valley) has impressed with a 5-1 overall mark and a 3.71 ERA in 11 overall appearances (seven starts) that includes 51 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings of action. Freshman Brian Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) is a perfect 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six outings to date, while senior Alex Rozak (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) has recorded three wins in 10 appearances (eight starts) with a 3.89 ERA. Senior Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, Conn./Nonnewaug) has been a versatile performer for Kelley once again this season, as he has recorded a pair of wins and four saves to go with a 1.44 ERA in 16 total appearances while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Avery and Kyle Kennedy have combined to capture three MASCAC Pitcher of the Week accolades on the season.
Massachusetts Maritime, which shared last year’s regular season MASCAC title with Salem State and Worcester State, is making its third appearance in the conference championships since 2013 and its 11th post-season appearance in program history. The Buccaneers swept both regular season doubleheaders with both Fitchburg State and Framingham State, defeating the Falcons 3-2 and 2-1 on April 9th in Fitchburg, Mass. while notching a 9-6, 12-7 sweep of the Rams on April 23rd in Framingham, Mass.
Thursday’s other single elimination round match-up will see fourth-seeded Westfield State hosting fifth-seeded Bridgewater State, with the winner of that game traveling to top-seeded Salem State for second round action in the double elimination format on Friday afternoon.
For more information on the 2016 MASCAC Baseball Championships, please visit www.mascac.com.
2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championships
Thursday – Sunday, May 5-8, 2016
THURSDAY, MAY 5TH – FIRST ROUND - SINGLE ELIMINATION
Game #1: #5 Bridgewater State (16-18) at #4 Westfield State (18-18) 3:00 pm
Game #2: #6 Framingham State (10-28) at #3 Fitchburg State (17-18) 3:00 pm
FRIDAY, MAY 6TH – SECOND ROUND - DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Game #3: Westfield State/Bridgewater State winner at #1 Salem State (19-17-1) 3:00 pm
Game #4: Fitchburg State/Framingham State winner at #2 Mass. Maritime (20-13) 3:00 pm
SATURDAY, MAY 7TH – SEMIFINALS (AT CENTRAL CAMPUS FIELD, SALEM, MASS.)
Game #5: Game #3 Loser vs. Game #4 Loser 9:30 am
Game #6: Game #3 Winner vs. Game #4 Winner 12:30 pm
Game #7: Game #5 Winner vs. Game #6 Loser 4:30 pm
SUNDAY, MAY 8TH – CHAMPIONSHIP (AT CENTRAL CAMPUS FIELD, SALEM, MASS.)
Game #8: Game #6 Winner vs. Game #7 Winner Noon
Game #9: Game #6 Winner vs. Game #7 Winner (if necessary) 30 min. after
