DUDLEY, Mass. (5/6/2025) – The No. 2 seeded Nichols College Baseball team begins their quest for their first Conference of New England (CNE) title on Wednesday as they face the winner of No. 3 Hartford and No. 6 Roger Williams at Bryant University.
The Bison earned the second seed in the Conference after posting an 11-5 record against CNE opponents during the regular season. The Bison earned their first conference win against Roger Williams with a 3-1 win. Then they recorded three straight wins in CNE play over Suffolk (2-1 and 7-1), before topping Western New England 7-5 to reach a 4-4 conference record. Baseball then swept Gordon College before dropping a game to Hartford.
Three straight wins, with a sweep of Wentworth and a come from behind win over Western New England. The Bison then swept Curry College on the final day of the regular season to secure the second seed in the process.
Nichols is led by senior
Ben Jerome, who is slashing at a .384 average with 61 hits and 22 RBI in 29 games this season. Junior catcher
Liam Flynn leads the team in RBI and slugging percentage. Flynn boasts a .597 slugging percentage and 37 RBI this season for the Bison, primarily in the three slot in the line-up.
On the mound, Nichols is led by senior lefty,
John Steed, who holds an 8-1 record on the season and a 3.84 ERA in 61 innings with Nichols. Steed earned a CNE Pitcher of the Week nod, back on March 31, when he posted a 0.90 ERA in two appearances and a 1-0 record, coming against Roger Williams. Sophomore
Allen Hinckley has also thrown 44.2 with a 5.64 ERA and 2-2 record in 11 starts for the Bison.
Scouting No. 3 Hartford: The Hawks see two batters posting 60 hits and 62 hits respectively. Designated Hitter Jake Santiago boasts a .414 batting average with 60 hits, seven home runs and 32 RBI. Infielder JJ Romatzick has pounded out 62 hits this season, with a .388 batting average, 10 doubles, two triples, and 35 RBI. Hartford shows two starting pitchers with 50 plus innings pitches, Anthony Bubba holds 3.38 ERA and a 4-1 record in 12 appearances this season. The other pitcher being Ryan Sheehy holds a 3.65 ERA with a 6-2 record in 13 appearances in the 2025 campaign.
Scouting No. 6 Roger Williams: Roger Williams sees senior Ty Cali, with a .330 batting average, 37 hits and 19 RBI to lead the team batting for the Hawks. Roger Williams also holds two starting pitchers that have thrown over 40 innings, with Jonathon Quinn, 3.38 ERA and a 3-2 record in seven starts this season. The second arm for the Hawks is Lucas Lariviere, holds a 4.89 ERA in 49.2 innings thrown with 41-strikeouts.
Last Time Out vs Hartford: Hartford and the Bison met twice this season with the Hawks sweeping the Bison in the pair of games. Game one needed extra innings with Hartford clipping the Bison 9-8 in 10 innings. The second match-up between the teams saw a 13 run third inning, as the Hawks cruised to a 19-3 win over the Bison. Nichols is 2-2 all-time against the Hawks, with two of their game sending with a run rule and two ending in extra innings.
Last Time Out vs Roger Williams: Roger Williams and the Bison split in the second weekend of the conference schedule. The Bison topped the Hawks 3-1 in game one before falling 5-2 in game two.
