America East Baseball News & Notes: Winter Blues and Diamond Brilliance

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The start of the 2026 America East baseball season has been a test of resolve, both on and off the field. While every team in the conference is currently battling to snap early-season losing streaks, the biggest opponent has been the elements. A major late-February nor’easter—which underwent “bombogenesis” earlier this week—slammed the Northeast with heavy snow and high winds, bringing cleanup efforts to the forefront. Fortunately, most programs have headed south for warmer climates to find consistent reps before the conference schedule begins.

Friday Victories: Maine and Binghamton Break Through

Despite the broad conference struggles, Friday provided a glimpse of the talent within the league as both Maine and Binghamton secured gritty non-conference wins.

Maine 7, High Point 5: Senior Gianni Gambardella earned his first win of the 2026 campaign, pitching 5.1 innings and surrendering three earned runs while navigating a tough High Point lineup. The Black Bears’ bullpen was the story of the late innings, with four relievers combining for 3.2 innings of high-leverage work. Sebastian Holt slammed the door to record the save. Offensively, Maine showed depth with multi-hit performances from Albert De La Rosa, Brody Rasmussen, Shane Andrus, and Hunter St. Denis.
Binghamton 9, William & Mary 8: The Bearcats used late-inning heroics to edge out the Tribe. The defining moment came in the seventh inning when redshirt sophomore Tim Hennig (Wantagh, NY) connected on a towering grand slam to right-center field. The blast made a winner of Mason Holloway, who grinded through two innings of relief. Mitchell Jackson earned a three-inning save, striking out five in a dominant shutout performance to preserve the victory.

America East Weekly Honors

The conference officially announced its top performers for the opening week, highlighting standout production against elite national competition.

Award	Winner	School	Performance Highlights
Player of the Week	Luke Filippi (OF)	UAlbany	Slashed .385/.412/.667 at Texas Tech; recorded multiple hits and 3 RBIs against Big 12 pitching.
Pitcher of the Week	Landon White (RHP)	Bryant	Tossed 3.0 innings of scoreless relief at Clemson; allowed just one hit while striking out four.
Rookie of the Week	Troy Carpenter (IF)	Maine	Posted a 1.089 OPS at High Point; homered in both games of a Saturday doubleheader and totaled 6 RBIs.

The Road Ahead

As cleanup continues in the Northeast, the focus remains on road development. The conference-wide ERA (currently averaging 7.89) is expected to stabilize as pitchers settle into their rotations and teams escape the disruption of the “Blizzard of ’26.”