Baseball Bracket

For the first time since the 2016 season, Salem State has nabbed the MASCAC Baseball Regular Season title and the top seed in the upcoming MASCAC Tournament which begins on Thursday, May 9.

The tournament kicks off on Thursday with first round games hosted by Salem State and #2 Bridgewater State. Up first #3 Framingham State will face #6 Worcester State in Bridgewater at 11 am while #4 Westfield State plays #5 Mass. Maritime also at 11 in Salem. The winner of each first round game will then face the host institution at their respective site with the tournament becoming double elimination. 

Following the quarterfinals, the semifinals and championship will be held in Salem on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 with the if necessary championship game on Sunday, May 12. 

The Vikings earned the top seed in this week's tournament after claiming a share of the MASCAC Regular Season title with a 14-7 mark. In his first season with the team, Cam Fisher has been stellar on the mound with a 2.08 ERA, a 6-0 record, two complete games, a shutout, only nine walks and 26 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .258 batting average over eight appearances. 

Bridgewater State grabs the other hosting duties with the second seed after also finishing 14-7 during MASCAC play for a share of the regular season crown. For the Bears, Matthew Pigeon closed out the regular season atop the league in batting average at .417 while also collecting the second-best on-base percentage at .511. He knocked in 35 RBI with 10 doubles, a triple, 45 total hits, 30 runs scored, 17 walks and five stolen bases. 

Sitting in the third seed is Framingham State who also ended the regular season 14-7 for a share of the regular season title. Ryan Boyle had a stellar season for the Rams after hitting .408 with a .631 slugging percentage and on-base percentage while smacking 17 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 53 total hits, 34 RBI, 27 runs scored, 19 walks and a stolen base on the year.

Westfield State lands in the four spot after collecting a 13-8 mark during league competition this season. Ryan Lapierre was a force on the mound for the Owls with a league-leading 1.70 ERA, eight wins and 63 strikeouts over his nine appearances. He also held opponents to only a .226 batting average and walked 19 batters over his 58.1 innings of work.

Closing out this year's tournament field are Mass. Maritime and Worcester State with the fifth and sixth seed, respectively. For the Buccaneers, AJ Pietrafesa was in the top 10 of the MASCAC in several statistical categories at the end of the regular season, including his .397 batting average, .618 slugging percentage, .497 on-base percentage, 54 total hits, 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 24 walks and 84 total bases. Toeing the rubber for the Lancers, Ben Smith led the league with 63 strikeouts over nine appearances with three wins, four complete games, a shutout, a 3.06 ERA and a .222 opponent batting average. 

Last season, second seed Bridgewater State defeated fifth seed Mass. Maritime, 11-6, in the 2023 MASCAC Tournament Championship game to earn the league's title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.