2020 Buccaneer Baseball Preview
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass – Entering his fifth season at the helm of the Buccaneer baseball program, Head Coach Mike Kelley and his squad are coming off of an 11-27 season in 2019. They finished 8-13 in the MASCAC, good for seventh in the conference standings, one spot out of postseason play. Coming in to 2020 the team has been voted seventh in the MASCAC preseason coaches' poll.
Coach Kelley welcomes back 22 players from the 2019 team including seven members of the starting lineup, including senior outfielder Nick Haley (Hanson, Mass) and sophomore infielder A.J. Luciano (Lynn, Mass), as well as the team's top two pitchers over the last two seasons, right hander John Teehan (Boston, Mass) and lefthander Mason Ashburn (East Freetown, Mass). The Buccaneers will have three spots to fill with the loss of, now graduated, starting outfielders Paul Sances and Marley Dembitzki as well as starting pitcher Brian Kwedor. That said, the Bucs welcome 10 new faces in to the locker room including nine freshman and, now senior, pitcher Andrew Auld (Wakefield, Mass) who pitched for the Buccaneers in 2017.
On the mound last season, Teehan pitched well, striking out 60 batters in 52.2 innings, 10.25 per nine innings. He allowed just 40 hits in those 52.2 innings while allowing 25 runs. He posted three wins and a 4.27 ERA. Ashburn also racked up three wins on the hill, striking out 57 hitters in 45.2 innings, 11.23 strikeouts per nine innings.
At the plate in 2019, Haley was third on the team in at bats with 103 and tied for third on the team with 28 hits. He hit four home runs, tied for the team-high with fellow senior Jackson Simone (Seattle, Wash) and had three two-baggers. Haley drove in a team-high 20 runs. All of this led to a .272 average and .350 on-base percentage. Luciano was fourth on the team in at-bats with 102, racking up 25 hits for a .245 batting average. The aforementioned Simone had 84 at-bats last season adding seven doubles to go along with his four home runs. He batted .333, drove in 14 runs, walked eight times and posted a .412 on-base percentage.
The team has some key losses from last years but with the addition of talented freshman, third baseman Braden Killens (Marshfield, Mass) and pitcher Thomas Wagner (Mystic, Conn) to name a few, and great versatility among the returning players in the dugout this season the Buccaneer coaching staff will have a number of lineup and pitching rotation combinations at their disposal in 2020.
The 2020 Buccaneer baseball schedule is comprised of 38 games, pending weather, with three game series against each of the seven other MASCAC teams. The season begins on Saturday, February 29th in Fort Pierce, Florida where the Bucs will take on Wilkes University for the second year in a row. Last season in the Sunshine State, Maritime fell to the Colonels 9-7. In that game junior Dylan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass) drove in two runs and sophomore catcher Michael Doyle (Boston, Mass) scored twice. Teehan started that game for the Bucs and went on to strikeout six hitters in five innings, allowing seven hits, five runs and picking up a no decision.
The team will close out their southern swing on Sunday, March 1 with a doubleheader that begins at 1pm against the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies. It will be the first meeting ever between the two programs.
The Buccaneers return north and have a short break in the first couple weeks of March before heading to Dudley, Mass on Wednesday, March 11th to take on the Nichols Bison.
Maritime's home opener at Hendy Field is scheduled for Thursday, March 12th against Rivier University a team the Bucs did not see in 2019 and have not played since 2014. Maritime swept that 2014 doubleheaders by a combined score of 12-4.
The Bucs take to the road for a pair of games against NEWMAC opponent Clark University on Friday, March 13th and the GNAC's Johnson & Wales on Monday, March 16th. Last season, the Bucs fell to Clark at home and split a home doubleheader with JWU, losing game one 14-6 and winning game two 2-0. Teehan pitched in the 2-0 win against the Wildcats, pitching a complete game two hitter with 12 strikeouts.
The clubs next seven games are at the friendly confines of Hendy Field and capped off with their MASCAC opener. The home stand begins on Tuesday, March 17th against Wentworth followed by Dean College on the 18th and Becker on the 19th. Then on Sunday, March 22nd, the Buccaneers host Colby-Sawyer in a double header beginning at 12pm. The Bucs and Chargers have not played since 2002. The teams split that two-game series some 18 years ago with the Bucs winning 7-4 and losing 4-2. Kelley's Crew will then host the NESCAC's Tuft University on Wednesday the 25th and then welcome the Salem State Vikings to Buzzards Bay for the first game of the opening series of conference play on Friday, March 27th at 4pm.
On March 28th the Bucs will travel to Salem to close out the season series between the two teams with a doubleheader beginning at 12pm. Last season the Bucs took two of three games from Salem sweeping the home doubleheader by scores of 4-1 and 9-1. Ashburn went seven innings in the 4-1 win, allowing five hits, the one run and struck out eight opposing hitters. In the 9-1 series finale win Simone and Ben Paine (Dartmouth, Mass) each drove in a pair of runs giving Teehan the run support he needed to go a complete seven innings to pick up the win. John struck out 12 hitters, walked no one in the game, and allowed three hits and the one run.
Next up for Maritime is a nine game stretch of conference games in 10 days against Bridgewater, Framingham and Westfield. On Wednesday, April 1st the Bucs play host to Bridgewater State at 4pm. The doubleheader of this three game series will be played the following Tuesday, April 7th, in Bridgewater beginning at 2pm. Sandwiched between the Bridgewater series is a weekend series with Framingham State on Friday, April 3rd and Saturday April 4th. The Buccaneers will host the rams on Friday at 4pm then travel to Northborough, Mass to play the doubleheader at New England Baseball Complex. Game one of the doubleheader will begin at 4pm. Last season, Maritime swept the home double header against the rams which was also the final series of the season for the Bucs. Game one was won 1-0 thanks to a stellar performance on the mound by Kwedor. He tossed a complete game, seven innings, striking out four hitters. Dembitzki scored the lone run in the game. In a 4-2 win in game two, Ashburn threw a complete game, striking out 10 Ram hitters.
After the Framingham and Bridgewater series the Bucs take on last year's regular season champions and preseason favorite Westfield State in an Easter weekend series that begins at Mass Maritime on Friday, April 10th for a doubleheader beginning at 4pm. The teams will meet in Westfield on Saturday the 11th at 3pm to close out the conference series. The Bucs won the third and final game of last year's series against the Owls in Westfield, 7-5. Luciano drove in three runs in the win, Teehan picked up the W on the mound in a five inning performance with Ashburn picking up a two-inning save.
Before taking on Worcester State in conference play, the Bucs will play back-to-back non-conference games on April 14th and 15th. April 14th is on the road against Dean College in Franklin, Mass to complete a home-and-home with the Bulldogs. First pitch is at 3:30. On the 15th, the Bucs host Anna Maria College at 4pm. Last season the AMCATS left Taylor's Point with a 7-4 win over Maritime.
The Bucs will then play their three-game series with the Lancers, in Worcester on the 17th at 3:30pm and at home for the doubleheader on Saturday the 18th, which begins at 12pm. The Bucs won game one of last year's series with the Lancers, 6-5, but dropped the final two games of the series, 8-4 and 6-5. In the win, Simone and Angus McNeil (Middleton, Mass) each homered. McNeil's four-bagger was a three-run shot in the seventh that tied the game.
A midweek, non-conference matchup with Pine Manor College comes on Wednesday, April 22nd at 4pm. The Bucs beat the Gators 9-4 in 2019 at home. Ashburn struck out nine gators in the game and picked up the win. Haley scored three times in the victory.
MCLA is the next conference opponent for the Bucs in a series that will begin in North Adams, Mass on Friday, April 24th at 3pm. The teams travel back to Buzzards Bay on Saturday, April 25th for a doubleheader with a first pitch time of 1pm. This also marks senior day for six Buccaneers. The Trailblazers took two of three from the Buc last season including a 4-3 extra inning thriller.
The Bucs will play their final non-conference game of the season against Roger Williams on Tuesday, April 28th at 3pm in Bristol, R.I. It will be the second meeting in as many years with the Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent and just the second since 2008. The Hawks were victorious last season against Maritime at Hendy Field.
Maritime will close out their regular season slate the first weekend in May against Fitchburg State. The Falcons fly south on Friday, May 1st for a 4pm start with the Bucs sailing north to Fitchburg on Saturday, May 2nd for the twin bill which begins at 12pm. Fitchburg swept the season series last season.
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