Baseball Playoff Preview Versus Anna Maria
The Owls face the AMCATS in an elimination game tomorrow at 12:00 P.M. from Bridgewater State.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
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0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State baseball will begin postseason play in the 2026 MASCAC baseball tournament tomorrow as the Owls face Anna Maria in an elimination game from Bridgewater State at 12:00 P.M.
The Owls enter the tournament as the fifth seed after posting a 12-12 conference regular season record while the AMCATS are the fourth seed. The winner advances into the double elimination section of the bracket while the loser is eliminated from postseason contention.
Anna Maria won two of the three regular season meetings against Westfield. The Owls won game one 10-6 in the nine-inning game on Friday, then in the doubleheader on Saturday, the AMCATS won a pitcher's duel 1-0 followed by a game three victory of 7-4.
Leading the offense for the Owls are a pair of all-conference players in Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) and Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.). Palmer leads Westfield with a .364 batting average to go along with four home runs, 30 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. Racine is batting .319 with a .448 on-base percentage, tallying 13 extra base hits and 30 RBI.
Sophomore designated hitter TJ May (North Granby, Conn.) is swinging a hot bat entering the tournament, increasing his season batting average up to .312 after recording at least one hit in five of the last seven games. He totaled three hits and two RBI in the regular season finale at Salem State.
On the pitching side, all-conference starter Andre Phaneuf and junior Sean McNamara both have thrown over 40 innings for the Owls with Phaneuf owning a 2.22 earned run average while McNamara is tied for the MASCAC lead in strikeouts with Anna Maria's Owen Sullivan at 66. Junior reliever AJ Moore (Long Beach, Calif.) has settled into the closing role for the Owls as he leads the league with five saves.
The AMCATS season has been fueled by a strong pitching staff as the unit has a combined ERA of 3.92 which is second in the conference. The duo of Sullivan and Jesse Buonocore have combined for 13 wins as Sullivan sits at 6-2 with a 1.84 earned run average, the second lowest ERA in the MASCAC. The high-velocity right hander has an 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings. Buonocore is the conference's current win leader at 7-3 and has thrown the most innings of any arm in the league with 67.2 innings, supporting a 2.39 ERA.
Offensively, catcher Brady Aylward leads the team with a .365 batting average and 50 hits, launching two home runs with 23 RBI. Outfielder Andrew Denison has been a spark at the top of the AMCATS order, hitting .318 with 35 hits and 22 stolen bases, tied for second in the league.
The winner will advance to the MASCAC quarterfinals and the double elimination section of the bracket and will play top-seeded Bridgewater State approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the elimination game.