America East Baseball News & Notes: Mapping the Road to the Postseason

It is now crunch time for teams in the America East Conference. The only thing that is certain is that the host school, the Binghamton Bearcats, is officially in the tournament. As for everyone else, there is still plenty of work to be done with only two weekends left in the regular season. Every game means something to somebody right now; while six teams make the cut, five spots are still very much up for grabs.

The most interesting battle might be at the bottom of the league. The UMass Lowell River Hawks (16-27, 6-12) hold a three-game lead in the loss column over the NJIT Highlanders (15-27-1, 6-15). The River Hawks have a bit of an advantage this weekend as they head to Maine for a conference series against the Black Bears (18-26, 11-7). UML has struggled recently, losing seven in a row, and this will be the second meeting between these two teams this year. Back in late March, the Black Bears took two of three at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, clinching the series with a 10-6 Sunday win. Maine leads the all-time series 32-21 and is currently looking to lock down second place in the league to secure a favorable postseason seed.

As for the Highlanders, they will be playing baseball this weekend, but not against a conference foe. Instead, they have a two-game non-league set with the #22 Boston College Eagles in Newton, Massachusetts. There could be a lot of scoreboard watching by the Highlanders, as results from Maine will likely mean more to their postseason hopes than what happens against the Eagles. NJIT will finish their season at UMBC, and the trick will be ensuring those final games in Baltimore are still meaningful.

Bryant University (25-20, 12-9) has a massive series this weekend against UMBC (23-20, 10-8). The Bulldogs just wrapped up a long 11-game road trip on Tuesday with a win over Merrimack, ending that stretch with a 6-5 record. While they are 11-12 over their last 23 games, their win over the Warriors snapped a four-game midweek losing streak. The 20 runs they scored in that game marked the first time they reached that total since May 16, 2023, against Stonehill. Bryant is also within striking distance of the conference stolen base record; after swiping six bags against Merrimack, they now have 137 on the season, just eight shy of the record of 145.

UMBC enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak but has struggled to an 8-13 mark on the road. The Retrievers have their rotation set for the weekend, with Eddie Sargent (3-2, 4.37 ERA) getting the ball on Friday, followed by Zach Robinson (5-3, 4.29 ERA) on Saturday and Sergio Droz (1-3, 5.14 ERA) on Sunday. Bryant will counter with Ethan Zaslaw (3-1, 2.89 ERA) on Friday and Ty Davis (5-1, 4.40 ERA) on Saturday, with Sunday’s starter still to be determined. Both teams are battling for third place, but they are also eyeing second depending on how Maine fares. Bryant currently sits two games back of second, while UMBC is only one game back.

UAlbany (13-27, 8-10) hosts its final home series of the season against the Bearcats. A series win by the Great Danes could easily move them up in the standings, as they sit just one game behind Bryant and two behind UMBC. They will also have a keen interest in the Maine-Lowell series, as they currently sit two games clear of the River Hawks. The Bearcats, meanwhile, know they are postseason-bound but are still fighting for their final seeding. With a two-game lead on the field, a weekend series loss at UAlbany could complicate their path. Look for Binghamton to play their regulars and push for a series win to ensure their final trip to Lowell is merely a formality. Some incredibly meaningful baseball is on deck this weekend in America East—make sure to get out and see it.