America East Baseball News & Notes: Binghamton Takes Control

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With just four weekends left in the regular season, the America East Conference has a new leader. The Binghamton Bearcats sit atop the league at 9–3 and are set for a high-stakes showdown this weekend against second-place Bryant University. With every team still in the hunt for a postseason berth, there is plenty of baseball left to be played. Here is how the landscape looks in the middle of April.

Binghamton Bearcats: The Hottest Team in the AE

Binghamton (18–13, 9–3) enters the weekend on an eight-game winning streak, seven of which are conference victories. They are coming off a dominant three-game sweep of UMBC, highlighted by the performance of America East Pitcher of the Week Jackson Merrill. Merrill, who had served as the team’s closer, made his first start of the season on Sunday, tossing five scoreless innings with a career-high seven strikeouts.

The Bearcats’ weekend began with high drama on Friday, securing a walk-off win over UMBC via a 10th-inning home run from Andrew Heppner. Saturday saw Mason Holloway (2–2) earn the win in a tightly contested 4–1 game, handing Zach Robinson (5–1) his first loss. Sunday was a different story, as Binghamton cruised to a 16–5 mercy-rule victory to complete the sweep.

Bryant Bulldogs: Preparing for a Long Road Trip

Bryant (19–15, 7–5) kept pace in the standings by taking two of three from UAlbany. They were led by AE Player of the Week Ellis Garcia, who posted a staggering 1.436 OPS over four games. Garcia slashed .555/.692/1.222 during that stretch, launching two home runs and driving in six.

This weekend marks the start of a grueling 11-game road trip for the Bulldogs. While Bryant is 7–10 on the road this year, they have historically found success in Vestal, going 4–2 at Binghamton and 12–5 overall. This will be the second meeting between the two squads this season; Bryant took two of three at home back in mid-March.

Maine Black Bears vs. NJIT Highlanders

The Maine Black Bears (9–23, 5–4) head to NJIT following a 2–1 week in non-league play. Leading the charge is AE Rookie of the Week Hunter St. Denis, who recorded a 1.611 OPS with two home runs and six RBIs last week. Maine has historically dominated this matchup with a 19–8 all-time record against the Highlanders.

NJIT (12–19, 3–9) currently sits in last place, two full games behind UAlbany, who plays non-conference games this week. The Highlanders will look to bounce back at home after dropping two of three to UMass Lowell last weekend.

UMass Lowell River Hawks vs. UMBC Retrievers

The River Hawks (14–18, 5–7) travel to Baltimore to face a struggling UMBC (16–15, 5–4) squad that has lost six consecutive games. UMass Lowell is coming off its first conference series win of the season against NJIT and will look to capitalize on the Retrievers’ recent slide. While UMBC holds a 12–10 advantage at home against the River Hawks, UMass Lowell leads the all-time series 24–20.

Next week, we’ll have more updates as the race for the America East tournament heats up.