Whitehill Homers, Local Relievers Strong in College

Below is the fourth Navs College Baseball Report of the 2026 season. Weekly installments will be posted by Tuesday throughout the spring.

LYNN, Mass. — Here are the latest college baseball highlights for incoming North Shore Navigators players:

Returning Navigator infielder Simmi Whitehill hit his second home run of the season in the first game of Monmouth's CAA-opening sweep of Towson. The blast highlighted a 2-for-4, three-RBI Friday performance before he recorded another hit and scored three runs on Sunday, helping the Hawks score 12 runs in both games. He also stole three bases. Whitehill is hitting .302 with 10 RBI on the season.

After making huge impacts at the bat and in the field in the previous two weeks, High Point's Lane Allen continued impacting the game in any way that he could, collecting three hits, four RBI and two stolen bases during an upset series win at No. 9 Florida. Allen hit a clutch two-run single in the seventh inning of Friday's game, which the Panthers won 7-2.

On the mound, Cole Yennaco recorded two saves to help Merrimack clinch its first MAAC series of the season against Niagara. He pitched a scoreless inning in Saturday's 8-7, series-opening win before striking out one to help finish the final frame of a 6-4 game the following day. Yennaco has now saved three of the first four victories for the Warriors and has a 3.18 ERA.

Staying local, Lynn's own Josh Doney (UMass Lowell) is coming off the longest outing of his young career, throwing two innings of one-run ball in a Saturday win at San Francisco. Fellow St. Mary's grad Jack Zimmerman (Dayton) was effective over two innings against Maine, as he allowed just one hit and one run while punching out the first three batters of his career. Peabody native Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto) picked up four hits during a four-game series against Blinn College, driving in two runs and scoring two more. He had a 2-for-4 game on Saturday. 

While Zimmerman contributed on the mound, Grayson Carpenter was at the center of Dayton's offensive success again this week, as the Flyers slugged their way to four straight wins by scoring double-digit runs in each game. Carpenter scored four runs, drove in three, stole three bases, and was an on-base machine -- walking five times while striking out only once. The outfielder is having one of the most impressive freshman seasons in the Atlantic 10, netting a .382 average in 13 games.

Two Navigators catchers had solid weekends. Jay Slater (Northwestern) logged a hit in each game of a three-day stretch, including a double and two RBI during Saturday's win for the Wildcats against Omaha. Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) had a 2-for-3 Friday game to begin a series at ACC foe Louisville. 

For Bowling Green, Brady Birchmeier hit safely in both of his appearances against Kent State this weekend and was also hit by two pitches in Friday's contest. Teammate Pauly Mancino nabbed a hit in that same game. The junior additionally walked twice and stole two bases against the Golden Flashes. Also on the infield, Oral Roberts shortstop Hudson Ellis had three hits, including an RBI double in a Friday game against Arkansas State that took 14 innings to complete.

In Lynchburg, Va., Harvard faced Liberty over the weekend, and Tyler Shulman posted four hits and scored three runs across a pair of multi-hit games to begin the series. North Shore veteran and co-middle infielder Jack Rickheim had two hits and scored a run to help the Crimson.

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 19th summer season in 2026, with first pitch set for Friday, June 5. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.