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 14th installment of the Navs' College Baseball Report, which will appear weekly on Mondays.

LYNN, Mass. — Conference Championship week brought big things for incoming members of the North Shore Navigators, helping to guide their teams to conference championships as Navs prepare for opening day of the NECBL season next week. 

Danny MacDougall (Endicott) played a key role for the No. 1 nationally-ranked Gulls in their Super Regional matchup against Johns Hopkins, going 3-for-8 with four RBI as the Gulls swept their way to the Division 3 College World Series for the second consecutive year. MacDougall provided the spark in game one, hitting the game-winning home run in the 10th inning as part of a 2-for-5 effort. MacDougall added another homer to his tally on Saturday, as he finished with a walk and two RBI. The Gulls start play at the World Series on Friday in Eastlake, Ohio.

Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year Kyle Jones (Stetson) helped to lead the Hatters to a conference championship, going 8-for-19 during the tournament to help them clinch a spot in the Tallahassee Regional this weekend. Jones collected five hits over the first two games of the week, including a 3-for-4 day against top-seeded Austin Peay on Thursday. He hit a double, walked and scored two runs in the Hatters’ win. Jones rounded out his week with a 2-for-5 performance against Kennesaw State in the championship game, moving his average to a team-best .352 average with 22 stolen bases at the end of the regular season. 

Stetson also earned strong performances from both of the future Navs pitchers on its roster. TJ Melani appeared in two games for the Hatters, including notching his first collegiate start in the conference semifinals against FGCU. Melani finished with 3.1 scoreless innings in that game after pitching two innings of one-hit ball last Tuesday against Kennesaw State. Second-team All-ASUN selection Zane Coppersmith appeared in two games, striking out two batters over 2.2 innings of work. Coppersmith enters the NCAAs with 33 strikeouts and a 1.55 ERA. 

Also competing in an NCAA regional this weekend will be Peabody native and former St. John’s Prep standout Ryan Bradley (Bryant), who helped his Bulldogs win the America East championship in their second year in the conference. Bradley, who has made a career-high 18 appearances this season, threw 1.1 innings in last Saturday’s title-clinching game against UMBC. James Agabedis (Tulane) also helped his team capture its second straight American Athletic Conference title.

Second-team All-Georgia Collegiate Athletic Conference selection Luke Orfi (Georgia Highlands) helped to lead the Chargers to a first-round win in the NJCAA Division 1 World Series, going 2-for-4 on Saturday against No. 7 McLennan Community College. Orfi doubled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning to give the Chargers a 2-1 lead in a game they would eventually win 5-1. Orfi helped raise his average to .432, which leads the Chargers. Orfi also stands with 23 doubles on the season. 

Returning Nav Matt Chatelle (Merrimack) went 9-for-21 over five games during the Northeast Conference Championship, helping to drive the Warriors on a deep run in their first-ever postseason appearance at the Division 1 level. The first-team All-NEC selection scored five runs over the course of the conference tournament while adding a double and a walk to his season totals. Chatelle’s week brought his batting average up to .319 while finishing the season with six doubles and 11 homers.  

Tim McGuire (Sacred Heart) started the NEC Championship strong, going 3-for-9 with a double and two runs scored across the Pioneers’ first two games against LIU. McGuire helped lead the Pioneers to a tournament-opening win, posting a 2-for-5 day with a run scored. McGuire finished the season with a team-leading .326 average for a SHU squad, which won the league’s regular-season title for the first time in program history.

Chatelle’s fellow returnee Brett Dunham (Northeastern) appeared in two CAA Championship games for the Huskies, working 1.1 innings without allowing a run. The righty started with a strikeout over a full inning of work last Tuesday against Hofstra before striking out the lone batter he faced on Thursday against William & Mary. Dunham finished his season with 24 strikeouts over 20.1 innings, both career-high marks. 

Alex Luccini (UMass Lowell) rounded out the America East Tournament strong, going 3-for-9 over the River Hawks’ final two games. The second-team All-Conference selection in the outfield had a strong Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a run scored against Bryant before hitting his 16th double of the season on Friday against NJIT. Luccini finished third on the River Hawks in average, with a mark of .290 for the season. 

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.