Until the North Shore Navigators assemble at Fraser Field to begin the 2025 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.

The Navs College Baseball Report will be released weekly on Mondays again this spring. Below is the first installment for 2025.

LYNN, Mass. — Incoming North Shore Navigators players have gotten the college baseball season underway across the country over the past two weekends, impacting their respective teams both at the plate and on the mound. 

Two freshmen hitters have made an immediate impact at Louisiana. Right fielder Brooks Wright is off to a 6-for-14 start with a double, five RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases over seven games. He had a three-hit, three-RBI performance on Feb. 16 against San Jose State before beginning this past weekend's Nebraska series with a 2-for-3 Friday. Finding his way in the starting lineup twice at third base, Owen Galt is 3-for-7 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored. The infielder’s first RBI came during a two-hit Saturday performance to help the Ragin' Cajuns beat Nebraska.

Todd Clay (UAB) has emerged as a consistent threat in the Blazers’ lineup, adding to his early-season showing with an impressive past weekend against South Alabama. The starting third baseman went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored on Friday before driving in three runs and stealing a base on Sunday. Clay has a .368 average and 1.096 OPS on the season, while leading the team with four doubles and eight RBI through his first seven games at the Division 1 level.

Another transfer starting strong with his new program is Ethan Wilson (Winthrop), who is hitting .345 and slugging .828 with seven extra-base hits and 13 RBI thus far. Wilson homered in both ends of a Feb. 14 season-opening doubleheader against Merrimack. He saved his best for last in last weekend's series against Villanova, ripping a three-run homer and three-run triple for six RBI in the Eagles' 17-3 Sunday win. He is tied for third in the Big South Conference in RBI and total bases (24).

Redshirt freshman Alex Marot (West Virginia) has been a steady contributor at the plate, posting a .313 average with five hits in 16 at-bats across five games. His offensive highlights include a two-hit performance against Lipscomb on Saturday, where he also notched an RBI to help drive the offense. A Rhode Island native, Marot also showcased his ability to hit for extra bases with a double against Jacksonville on Feb. 15. With a .353 on-base percentage and .375 slugging percentage, he has continued to find ways to produce for the Mountaineers.

Outfielder Jack Gold (Pomona-Pitzer) has gotten off to a scorching start in Division 3 in California, hitting .346 with four doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI and a team-leading 13 runs scored through his first eight games this season. During the Sagehens’ latest weekend series against Chapman, Gold went 6-for-11 with eight RBI and homered in each of the three games. The powerful performance helped Gold up his slugging percentage to .962 and OPS to 1.503 for the young spring.

The North Shore roster includes two Stonehill players who made an impact in a four-game opening series against FIU. Center fielder Sam Parks boasts a .400 average after going 6-for-15 with three runs scored and one RBI. He also drew three walks and has a .526 on-base percentage after ranking among Northeast Conference leaders in that category last season. Nathan Kearney saw his first college action that weekend, recording three of his first four hits as part of a 3-for-5 effort on Feb. 16.

One of the Navs’ two returning position players from the 2024 summer has heated up of late. Reigning NECBL All-Star Jesse Jaconski (Penn State) slugged his first home run as a Nittany Lion in a 10-0 Saturday win at Longwood. He finished the three-game weekend with three hits, three runs scored, two RBI and a walk. Before taking on Jaconski’s Nittany Lions on the weekend, Peabody native Joe Castrichini (Longwood) enjoyed a great season debut last Tuesday against VCU, pitching three innings of one-hit, shutout baseball with two strikeouts. 

Staying on the mound, PJ Craig (Rider) played a huge role in the Broncs’ season opener at Campbell on Friday, throwing the first five innings of the team’s 4-3 win. Although he did not receive a decision in the outing, Craig had a phenomenal start, as the right-hander only surrendered five hits and one run. He gave his team a quality start and played a huge role in the Broncos taking their first series of the season in Buies Creek, N.C.

Freshman Ryan Mealy (Monmouth) has gotten his season off to a strong start. His season started down at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C., as he threw two innings in his Hawks’ 13-3 victory over Dayton on Feb. 14. His numbers continued to improve as on Saturday, Mealy dominated the Pittsburgh Panthers. Although his team lost 5-1, the righty threw four relief innings of one-hit baseball. For the season, Mealy has thrown six innings while only surrendering one earned run, striking out four, and has yet to surrender a walk.

Benjamin Rehkow (Winthrop) has now thrown three consecutive scoreless appearances out of the bullpen to start his campaign. In appearances against Merrimack, South Carolina and Villanova to begin the season, Rehkow has been dominant, surrendering three hits, no walks and no runs while punching out four batters to help the Eagles begin with a 4-3 record through two weeks.

A local product from Lexington, fellow freshman Liam Kinneen (Princeton) was given the ball in an opening weekend start for the Tigers against the Miami Hurricanes. The righty was able to strike out four Hurricanes in his three innings of work, although his team fell 8-0 on Sunday. Cole Yennaco (Merrimack) threw two perfect innings to earn his first career win on Saturday at Wagner. 

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 18th summer collegiate season in 2025, with first pitch set for Tuesday, June 3 against the Northern Division rival Upper Valley Nighthawks. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.