WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University baseball team has been picked to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) for the third year in a row, as voted on by coaches around the league.
The Owls gathered six first place votes out of a possible eight, accumulating 47 points overall. Westfield won both the regular season and postseason titles last year, sweeping the conference awards in the process. Returning seniors Anthony Crowley and John Gegetskas won the MASCAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, and head coach Nathan Bashaw was awarded Coach of the Year.
Crowley returns after back-to-back All-New England seasons, where he hit .373 and led the MASCAC in home runs (12), rbi (55), runs scored (43), and slugging percentage (.752) last season. He was named to the D3baseball Preseason All-America team just a few weeks ago. Gegetskas returns as the leader of the pitching staff, also gaining All-New England honors last season, posting an 8-1 record with a 2.29 ERA in 74 innings pitched.
The Owls also return senior middle infielders Colin Dunn and Tyler Beach who both played big roles in the championship run last year.
All-Conference first team third baseman Brett Dooley is back for his junior season, looking to build off his big year last year where he hit .326 with 11 doubles, two home runs, and 18 rbi.
Salem State University was picked second, grabbing one of the two remaining first place votes and 38 points in the process. The 2018 MASCAC runner-up, Framingham State, slides into the third place slot along with Mass. Maritime as both schools collected 32 points.
Landing in fifth with 26 points is Fitchburg State, and in sixth, grabbing the last first place vote, comes Worcester State with 21 points.
Rounding off the preseason poll is MCLA and Bridgewater who finished seventh and eighth in that order, with 19 points and 9 points, respectively.
Westfield State takes to the ballfield on Saturday, March 2nd, as the Owls travel to Springfield College for a double-header with the Pride beginning at 12:00 noon.
2019 MASCAC Baseball Pre-Season Coaches Poll
(First Place Votes In Parentheses)
| 1. | Westfield State | (6) | 47 points |
| 2. | Salem State | (1) | 38 points |
| T-3. | Framingham State | 32 points | |
| T-3. | Massachusetts Maritime | 32 points | |
| 5. | Fitchburg State | 26 points | |
| 6. | Worcester State | (1) | 21 points |
| 7. | MCLA | 19 points | |
| 8. | Bridgewater State | 9 points |