BROCKTON, Mass. ---- The Massasoit baseball team earned the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Quinsigamond CC on Friday at 7:30 PM in the opening round of the NJCAA Region 21 Division III baseball tournament at Trinity Stadium hosted by Northern Essex CC.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday – May 11th
Game 1: 4:00pm Trinity Stadium #1 Northern Essex vs #4 Holyoke
Game 2: 7:30pm Trinity Stadium #2 Massasoit vs #3 Quinsigamond
Saturday – May 12th
Game 3: 1:00pm Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
(Eaton Field- 70 Low St. Newburyport, MA - Located behind the school)
Game 4: 2:00pm Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 Trinity Stadium
Game 5: 6:00pm Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 Trinity Stadium
Sunday – May 13th
Game 6: 2:00pm Winner of Game 4 vs Winner of Game 5 Trinity Stadium
Game 7: If Necessary following Game 6
#2 MASSASOIT (16-11, 12-3 R21)
Massasoit turned on the jets down the stretch of the regular season, playing seven games in five days, posting a 5-2 record during that stretch. The Warriors captured victories in 11 of their last 13 contests, finishing 16-11 overall and 12-3 against Region 21 divisional opponents.
The Warriors boast a team batting average of .321 for the season with five student-athletes hitting .333 or better on the season. Preston Rankin leads the team with a .364 batting average and .524 on-base percentage.
Fellow sophomore Luke Lewando (Brockton) has hit .360 for the season, followed by freshman Jonathan O'Donnell (Hull) at .353 and Nick Andrews (Raynham) at .350.
Andrews tops the team in RBI (33), runs (37) and extra-base hits (13), while manning shortstop for the Warriors. O'Donnell has knocked in 29 runs, while Luis Ramirez (.333 batting average) and Ricky Sherlock (12 extra-base hits, 22 RBI) have been major contributors on offense.
On the mound, Massasoit has four pitchers who have logged more than 20 innings on the season. Freshman Luke DiTondo (Marshfield) has been a workhorse, leading the team in innings pitched (36) and strikeouts (41), posting a 2-1 record and an even 4.00 ERA.
Righty Nick Steele of Dartmouth, sports a 3-1 record, fanning 26 in 31.1 innings. Southpaws Lewando has struck out 20 to just five walks in 27 innings and Matt McGrath (Braintree) has 17 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
Head coach Tom Frizzell, in his 28th season leading the Warriors, has reached the Region 21 Tournament every season during his hall of fame tenure. Under his watch, Massasoit has captured the regional title eight times with the last one coming in 2007.
The Warriors went 2-1 against the Quinsigamond Wyverns, splitting a doubleheader, before claiming the regular season finale in Worcester.
#3 QUINSIGAMOND (12-14, 9-6 R21)
The Wyverns enter the tournament winners of five of their last six games, with the lone loss coming to the Warriors.
Quinsigamond is led by ace Jordan Weber, who went 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA, fanning 57 in 41.2 innings. The lefty topped the region in wins, strikeouts and finished second in ERA.
Sophomore Bryce Melanson has been solid for the Wyverns, posting a 4.55 ERA in 29.2 innings.
As a team, Quinsigamond is hitting .284 for the season, with the duo of Nick Martin and Ryan Sanderson leading the charge.
Martin owns a .429 batting average, with 16 of his 30 hits going for extra bases, tallying 21 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He has also scored a team-best 26 runs and slugging at an impressive .786 clip.
Sanderson has hit .375 for the season, knocking in 22 and scored 17 runs. He has clubbed 10 extra-base hits and swiped eight steals.