Baseball Gears Up for NESCAC Championship Weekend

MEDFORD, MA (May 5, 2026) – After taking a 2-0 Conference Quarterfinal series win over Hamilton, the Tufts University baseball team advanced to the New England Small College Athletic Conference Semifinals as the top seed in the East Division and will try to reclaim the conference title from 2023. The Jumbos will play Middlebury on Friday.

Game Details:

NESCAC Tournament Website

Opponent: vs. Middlebury College (21-13, 7-5 NESCAC)

Time: 1:30 PM

Location: Hartford, CT – Murren Family Field

Live Coverage: Live Stats –

Live Video

Tufts vs Middlebury All-Time

The Jumbos have a slight edge with an all-time record of 25-18 when these two programs match up dating back to 2006. Middlebury won the latest battle in 2025 in the NESCAC Quarterfinal round by taking a 2-1 series victory. The Panthers earned a 5-3 win over the Jumbos in game one before Tufts grabbed a 6-2 win in game two. Middlebury bested the Jumbos in game three with a score of 9-5. The Jumbos have score 261 total runs against Middlebury and with an average of just over six runs per game.

A Look at the Jumbos (27-9, NESCAC 8-4)

The Jumbos enter Championship weekend as the second seed in the NESCAC East. Last weekend, they were the only team in the NESCAC Tournament to advance to the next round without needing a third game. Tufts is batting .302 as a team this season with 251 runs and 346 total hits. The Jumbos have had an elite pitching staff all season as they come into the weekend with a conference best 4.09 ERA, 10 saves, 151 runs against, 101 walks, 266 strikeouts, and a .252 opposing batting average. Defensively the squad also holds the top spot in the conference in fielding percentage with a .974 mark.

Jack Kamin has been unstoppable at the dish all spring with a team-leading batting average of .441 in 32 games played. The sophomore also leads the team with an OPS of 1.092 and 56 hits. The right fielder led the team in multiple other categories such as runs (38), slugging percentage (.606), RBI (36), and on base percentage (.486).

Owen McKiernan joined Kamin in the outfield as the center fielder and followed behind Kamin with the team's second best batting average of .343 in 105 at bats. The senior was solid on both sides of the ball, recording multiple diving catches throughout the season in key situations. McKiernan also holds an OPS of .968 with 11 extra base hits and a .514 slugging percentage. First Year

Tate Bannish completed this stacked outfield with a batting average of .328 in 35 games played. In 125 at bats, Bannish has an OPS of .975 and paces the team with five home runs. This outfield was speedy on the base paths as well with a combined 27 stolen bases on 32 attempts.

In the infield,

James Henshon enters Championship weekend with a batting average of .321 in 140 plate appearances. The sophomore has an OPS of .955 with a team-leading six triples and 11 doubles. The shortstop showcased his defensive talents as well, turning a team-best 22 double plays.

Jesse McCullough has been a valued member of this Jumbo squad with a batting average of .292 in 34 games played. The senior had 31 hits in 106 at bats with 17 RBI and four doubles.

Tom Pender was the main starter at third this season and enters the semifinal round with a batting average of .250 and 20 RBI. The First Year stood out on the defensive side of the ball with 39 assists in 29 games played.

At the catching position,

Malcolm Whitfield has been important defensively and has started to find a rhythm offensively as Championship weekend approaches with a season batting average of .252 in 33 games played. The senior is coming off of a series changing performance in the first round, going 4-for-7 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI. Whitfield has a fiery arm behind the plate as he threw out five base runners who attempted steals and holds an impressive fielding percentage of .996 with just one error.

On the pitching side, the Jumbos have one of the strongest pitching staffs in the conference with commanding starters and steady relievers.

Cole Donato headlines the starters with a 7-1 overall record and a team-best ERA of 2.24. The senior has one complete game and leads Tufts with 56.1 innings pitched. Donato has struck out 53 batters while only walking 17 and has allowed an opposing batting average of .235.

Emmet Christian follows just behind Donato with an impressive record of 6-1 in 10 appearances. The sophomore holds an impressive WHIP mark of 1.07 with 50 strikeouts and just 15 walks. Christian has allowed an opposing batting average of .211 in 49.1 total innings pitched.

Mark Herlihy rounds out this dominant starting rotation with an ERA of 3.89 in 11 total appearances. Herlihy whiffed 29 batters while walking just 10 and has allowed a team-best batting average of .180. The Junior holds an undefeated 3-0 record in seven starts and also has a save in four relief appearances.

Mitchell Hwang and

Derek Desmarais have been dynamic arms out of the bullpen for the Jumbos. Hwang posts a remarkable 0.82 ERA in 16 relief appearances and also has a 4-0 record. The Junior has a team-best WHIP of 0.85 in 33 complete innings on the mound. Hwang has forfeited just three total earned runs with 33 strikeouts and 10 walks. Desmarais earned the closer position and has excelled in that spot as he leads the team with eight saves in 17 appearance and has an overall record of 3-2. The sophomore slinger has an impressive WHIP mark 0.97 with a 3.57 ERA that is skewed by a couple of challenging sequences.

A Look at The Panthers (21-13, NESCAC 7-5)

The Panther enter Championship weekend as the second seed in the NESCAC West. Last weekend, Middlebury defeated Bowdoin in games one and three to advance. The Panthers have a deadly offense as they lead the NESCAC in team batting average with a .324 clip. Middlebury also ranks second in home runs (28), first in triples (16), first in slugging percentage (.498), and third in RBI (281).

Individually, Henry Ayers leads Middlebury and the conference with a standout batting average of .481 in 135 plate appearances. Ayers has an OPS of 1.206 with 94 total bases and a slugging percentage of .696. Ayers leads his team in basically every offensive statistical category besides on base percentage and walks. Sam Gersch joins Ayers as the only two batters with a .400 hitting mark or better with a .429 batting average in 34 games played. Gersch enters the tournament with the reputation as a disciplined batter as he leads his squad with 20 walks in 112 at bats.

On the mound, opposing batters have struggled at times against the strong Middlebury staff as the Panthers have held teams to a .258 batting average throughout the season. The starting rotation is not the strongest in the conference as the top two starters each hold an ERA of 5.21 or above with a combined 4-3 record. Christian Zebrowski has been a major bright spot for this Middlebury bullpen as he has produced an undefeated 6-0 overall record in 13 appearances. Zebrowski has an ERA of 2.67 and a WHIP of 1.03 and has struck out 40 batters while walking just 10 in 30.1 total innings pitched.

Rest of the Field

Trinity College will matchup against Amherst College in the second time slot of the tournament as they will play at 5:00 PM on Friday. Trinity enters Championship weekend as the two seed in the NESCAC East. The Bantams head to Hartford with a conference record of 8-4 and an overall record of 26-11. Trinity was great offensively all spring as they lead the NESCAC in runs scored (312), home runs (37), and RBI (281). The pitching is where Trinity was challenged the most as the sit in the bottom half of most of the pitching categories compared to all other NESCAC teams.

Amherst enters the weekend as the number one seed in the West division. Amherst ended with a 7-5 NESCAC record and an overall record of 24-12. Amherst is another potent offensive team as they rank second in the NESCAC with a team batting average of .319 and 298 total runs. The Mammoths are not known for their power at the plate as they sit in second to last with nine team home runs this season, but that does not deter their bats from bringing runners home. On the pitching side, Amherst follows just behind Tufts with an ERA of 4.12 and ranks second in the conference with 134 earned runs against.

Day 2: Saturday, May 9

Game 3: 10:30 AM. Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 4: 2:00 PM. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Game 5: 45 Min. after completion of game 4. Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Day 3: Sunday, May 10

Game 6: 10:30 AM. Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5. If necessary, Game 7 will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 6 with the same two teams.

--JUMBOS--