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Navs Step Up in D3 Postseason, Final Weekend of D1 Regular Season

05/20/2024 5:44 PM

Until the North Shore Navigators assemble at Fraser Field to begin the 2024 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) season in early June, the team will be highlighting its incoming players’ top performances each week on nsnavs.com and social media.

Below is the 13th installment of the Navs' College Baseball Report, which will appear weekly on Mondays.

LYNN, Mass. — Timely performances were key for incoming members of the North Shore Navigators, as the Division 1 regular season came to a close with the opening of the NECBL season under a month away. 

Returning Nav Matt Chatelle (Merrimack) played a key role for the Warriors in their Northeast Conference playoff race, going 3-for-10 with a home run and four RBI in a sweep over Stonehill. Chatelle’s highlight performance came in the Saturday finale, going 2-for-3 with his 11th home run of the season and a sacrifice fly in a 6-4 victory that clinched the No. 3 tournament seed. Chatelle finished fifth on the Warriors with 45 RBI during the regular season.

Peabody’s Ryan Bradley (Bryant) helped pitch Bryant to the top seed in the America East Conference, working two innings over two games. Bradley tossed a strikeout in each of his performances, including his Friday outing at UMBC where Bradley earned his first collegiate save. The left-hander finished the regular season with a career-high 18 strikeouts.

Fellow returnee Brett Dunham (Northeastern) followed last week's stellar performance with two shutout innings over two games to help secure the Huskies a place in the CAA tournament. The North Andover native began his week last Tuesday, with one strikeout over an inning of work against UMass Lowell before collecting two strikeouts on Friday against conference foe Stony Brook. Dunham’s performance lowered his ERA to 4.74, as opponents have hit just .172 against him this season. 

Staying at Northeastern, pitcher Will Jones had himself a strong performance last Tuesday, tossing six innings against the River Hawks while allowing just two hits against him in his second start of the season. The lefty matched his season-high with six strikeouts while his ERA dropped to 4.83, as Jones was credited with his third win of the season. The Hamilton-Wenham product finished the regular season tied for the most strikeouts on the Huskies squad with 45 in 41 innings of work.

Outfielder Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) began the week with a bang, going 4-for-8 with a pair of hits in both Huskies victories. He added a walk and two stolen bases last Tuesday against UMass Lowell, as his season average rose to .286 with his on-base percentage hiking up to .355. 

Danny MacDougall (Endicott) put his stamp on postseason play as the Gulls swept their way to the Division 3 Super Regionals for the third straight year. MacDougall saved his best for last, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run in the clinching game of the regional round against Husson on Sunday. He also collected a total of three walks and three stolen bases over the weekend, adding to his single-season record total in stolen bases with 45. 

Also competing in NCAA action, Owen Tross (Middlebury) helped the Panthers advance to the regional final round, pitching eight innings against St. John Fisher in an elimination game in Dallas, Pa. Tross’ second consecutive outing of eight or more innings finished with seven strikeouts while allowing just five hits, as he lowered his ERA to 4.82. Tross finished his season with 61 strikeouts, 18 of which came in his last three starts. 

Helping his team reach the postseason was TJ Melani (Stetson), who amassed five innings across two games this week, earning saves in both. Melani started his week with three innings of two-strikeout baseball against No. 10 Florida State last Tuesday, picking up his first collegiate save in the Hatters’ 10-5 victory over the Seminoles. Melani followed that performance up with two strikeouts on Friday against Central Arkansas. Fellow Stetson pitcher Zane Coppersmith picked up his 17th scoreless outing of the season on Thursday, picking up a strikeout as his ERA lowered to 1.37 on the year.   

Kyle Jones (Stetson) pitched in for the Hatters with his bat, starting his week with a home run against Florida State and rounding it out with a 3-for-8 performance against Central Arkansas. Jones scored twice against the Bears while tallying his 13th double of the season, as Stetson swept the Bears to clinch the second seed in the Atlantic Sun. Jones led the conference in steals this season with 23 while leading Stetson in average with his .346 mark. 

Tim McGuire (Sacred Heart) put up a 5-for-13 weekend against Maryland Eastern Shore, helping clinch the Pioneers’ first-ever NEC regular-season title. McGuire tallied a double and home run with two RBI as part of his strong series, bringing his average up to a team-best .331. McGuire collected a walk over the weekend as well, reaching base twice in each of the Pioneers’ three games. 

Reece Moroney (Rhode Island) started his weekend hot, going 3-for-7 over the Rams’ first two games against Dayton. Moroney drove in five RBI, with three coming on Thursday in a 2-for-3 performance while collecting his first triple of the season. Moroney would also double on Friday while collecting a walk, as the Rams took the first two games of the Atlantic 10 series against the playoff-bound Flyers. 

Another recent infield addition is Luke Orfi (Georgia Highlands), who had his own five-hit performance going 5-for-14 over three games against Dyersburg State. Orfi slugged two doubles while driving in four runners and scoring six runs of his own, as he finished the season leading Georgia Highlands in hits with 99 and stolen bases with 56. His .430 average was good for second on the team. 

Back on the mound, Zach Gleason (Stonehill) totaled seven strikeouts over six innings against Bryant last Tuesday. Gleason’s seven punchouts set a new season-high, while he held Bulldog batters in check without issuing a walk.

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 17th summer season in 2024, with first pitch set for Tuesday, June 4. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news — including further updates on current and former players — by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.