DUDLEY, Mass. (5/4/2026) – The No. 4 seeded Nichols College baseball program (22-17, 10-8 CNE) and head coach
Tim Mayo will start their postseason play on Tuesday afternoon, when they host No. 5 Roger Williams University (16-21, CNE 9-9) in the first round of the
2026 Conference of New England Baseball Tournament. First pitch is set for 3 PM at the Nichols Baseball Field. The first round game will be a single elimination game, which the winner will qualify for the quarterfinals of the CNE Baseball Championship, which marks the start of the double elimination format.
The Bison's 2026 postseason appearance marks the sixth-straight under Coach Mayo, with the Bison making it to the championship game in last year's outing before eventually losing to No. 1 Endicott College 3-0, finishing as runners-up.
Around The Bracket
The winner of the game on Tuesday will travel to Beverly, Massachusetts, to face No. 1 Endicott College (31-8, 17-1 CNE) on Thursday, May 7th at 12 PM, for the CNE tournament quarterfinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 University of Hartford (21-13-1, 14-4 CNE) will be playing the winner of the first round game between No. 3 Western New England (21-18, 12-6 CNE) and No. 6 Wentworth Institute of Technology (21-18, 8-10 CNE) on Thursday, May 7th, 45 minutes after the completion of Endicott vesus the winner of Nichols vs Roger Williams play in game.
By The Numbers
Offensively, sophomore outfielder
Ryan Keating has led the charge for the Bison, holding a batting average of .342 and slugging average of .570. He currently recorded 19 doubles on the season, breaking the single season record for most doubles that was previously set by Nathaniel Cormier '21 '22 at 17 doubles. Keating also leads the team in hits (54), stolen bases (27), and RBIs (32). Sophomore first baseman
Collin Harty leads the team with seven home runs, while junior
Anthony Hackert is tied with Keating for most runs with 36.
On the mound, graduate student
Clark Churchill and senior
Aidan Whitten have been the Bison's conference starting pitchers for most of the year, with them both recording four wins and 44 and 45 strikeouts on the season. In relief, reigning CNE Pitcher of the Week
Mitch Brown and freshman
Abe Anderson have been strong throughout the season. Brown currently holds a 2.78 ERA with a 4-2 record and 48 strikeouts, and Anderson sits at 1-0 with 18 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched.
Andrew Rocca and
Nicholas Willand lead the Bison with two saves a piece.
Nichols finished the regular season strong, posting a 7-1 record in the last eight games of the season. The Bison have found success at home this season, finishing with a 12-2 record when playing on The Hill.
The Bison went 1-1 in the regular season against the Hawks, when the Bison traveled to Bristol, Rhode Island to face Roger Williams in a doubleheader. Roger Williams took game one with the final score of 6-2 after 7 innings before the Bison responded with a 12-3 win, with Whitten earning the win on the mound and sophomore
Andrew Rocca excelling at the plate going four for five with two runs and two RBIs.
