DUDLEY, Mass. (2/19/2026) - The Nichols College baseball program returns for the 2026 season after coming just short of its goal a year ago, finishing second in the CNE in the regular season before advancing to the conference championship game, which they finished as runner-up to Endicott College in a 3-0 loss. The Bison, who finished last season with a 26-18 (11-5 CNE) record, will be coached by
Tim Mayo, who returns for his 8th season with the Bison.
Mayo currently sits at 133 wins with the Bison, which puts him as one of 11 coaches in Nichols' history to be in the 100 win club. To join him in the coaching staff for the season, Mayo adds some familiar and new faces:
- Nick Giudice – Giudice returns for his second year as a Graduate Assistant after his time with the Coastal Carolina University baseball program. Giudice will specialize in analytics, technology, and pitch design while working with the outfielders.
- Ben Jerome '25 – After his successful collegiate career with the Bison, which saw him earn multiple All-Conference and All-Region honors and break multiple records, Jerome will return to the program as a 1st year Graduate Assistant. He will work with the catchers, hitters, and baserunners.
- Kevin Johnson – In his 2nd year as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Johnson will work with the infielders and hitters, as well as coaching third base and running the offense. Kevin comes to the Bison after a successful career at WNE as a player and coach. In his first season at Nichols, he helped the Bison reach the conference final for the first time since 2004.
- Hayden Carter – Carter joins The Hill as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In the 2026 season, he will be working with the pitchers, focusing on improving and keeping arms healthy. Carter played his collegiate career at CSU-Bakersfield before making coaching stops along the way at the NCAA DI and DIII, Juco, Pro-ball, and Collegiate Summer Leagues levels.
"We are looking forward to the chance to fight our way back to the CNE Championship game. Our schedule is challenging with several top 20 teams on it. We have some good freshmen who will contribute immediately and have some vets back who were injured in the 2025 season," Mayo stated when asked about the 2026 season. "Overall, our returners are better than they were last spring. I believe if we can stay healthy as a team and compete to the level that we are capable of, playing baseball on the last day of the CNE tournament, on our field, is very attainable."
Leading the returners is senior third baseman
Julian Galvan, who earned CNE All-Conference Second Team honors in his first season with the Bison. The Torrance, California native ranked 12th in the CNE with a .357 batting average, recording 56 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, 25 RBI, and 31 runs scored.
Behind the plate, senior
Liam Flynn returns as a two-year captain. Flynn, the CNE All-Conference Second Team catcher, delivered an outstanding 2025 campaign, batting .348 with 55 hits, 15 doubles, eight home runs, 44 RBI, and 40 runs scored. His .595 slugging percentage ranked 7th in the conference, while his .468 on-base percentage was 10th best. Flynn's 1.064 OPS placed him 6th overall in the CNE.
At second base,
Anthony Hackert returns for his third season after earning CNE All-Conference Second Team honors in 2025. He hit .319 and stole 13 bases, finishing among the conference leaders in stolen bases.
On the mound, the Bison welcome back graduate student
Clark Churchill, a 2024 CNE All-Conference Second Team selection who missed last season due to injury. Right-hander
Aidan Whitten also returns to the pitching staff and captains the Bison after sitting out 2025 with an injury, adding experience to the rotation.
Allen Hinckley returns for his third year on the mound after setting the single-season starts record in 2025 with 12. Hinckley, a Windsor Locks, Connecticut native, set a career high seven strikeouts in a win against Gordon College on April 19th, 2025.
The Bison start their 2026 season on Wednesday, March 4th, when they travel to the University of Saint Joseph for a non-conference game before heading on a ten-day road trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they will face six different programs on that trip. The Bison's first Conference of New England game will be at home against Curry College on March 24
th at 3 PM.
