Westfield, Mass.— Reigning MASCAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions Bridgewater State are tabbed by the coaches from around the league to win their fifth straight championship during the 2026 season.

The Bears took home five first place votes in this year’s poll. They ended the season tied at 17-4 in MASCAC play to the regular season championship and the tournament crown. 2025 All-Conference honoree Ryan Flaherty is back after he led the conference in home runs and RBI with 17 and 64, respectively. He batted .298 with a .637 slugging percentage and .376 on-base percentage with 36 runs scored, seven doubles and 20 walks.

 

Earning the final four first place votes in second place is Worcester State. The Lancers were 12-9 during last season’s MASCAC action. In 2025, Riggs Catlin in his first season with the team, batted .342 with a .412 on-base percentage, 34 runs scored, 34 RBI, six home runs, nine doubles, four triples and 14 walks over his 33 games played. 

Coming in third is Westfield State. The Owls were 13-8 in conference competition in 2025. Sam Palmer is back after he earned first-team outfielder honors for the third time in his career after batting .333 with a .634 slugging percentage, third most in the MASCAC with 49 runs scored, fourth in home runs and 42 RBI and fifth in stolen bases with 15.

 

Sitting in fourth is Mass. Maritime. The Buccaneers had a 13-8 league mark and made it to the MASCAC title game. Colsen Loughren earned his first All-Conference accolade after batting .358 with a .403 on-base percentage, .578 slugging percentage, 40 RBI, six doubles, 39 total hits,10 walks and caught runner stealing eight times.

 

Right behind in fifth is Salem State. The Vikings were 12-9 in the conference slate. Last season, Owen Duggan batted .368, placing in the top-10 in the MASCAC while compiling a .462 on base percentage. The outfielder appeared in 31 games, registering 39 hits, six doubles, 21 runs batted in and 21 walks to earn an All-Conference nod. 

MASCAC newcomer Anna Maria was voted to finish sixth. The AMCATS will look to Jonathan Guardascione who posted a .435 batting average with 40 hits, including nine doubles and three home runs, while drawing 13 walks. Drove in 33 RBIs and recorded a .509 on-base percentage and a .630 slugging percentage.

Framingham State lands in the seventh spot. The Rams were 8-13 in 2025 and return Massimo Mondi who earned first team All-Conference honors after he finished the regular season leading the MASCAC with 19 stolen bases while batting .373 with 46 runs scored, five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 20 RBI while walking 29 times in the season. Mondi stole 19 bases while being thrown out just five times.

 

Closing out the 2026 preseason poll is Fitchburg State and MCLA in seventh and eighth, respectively. The Falcons bring back Joseph Abt who led the team with a .411 average in 112 at-bats with 46 hits. Nine of those hits were doubles, and two of them were home runs. He also topped the team in runs batted in with 39 RBIs. Defensively, Abt held an impressive .933 fielding percentage with eight double plays. For the Trailblazers, Joshua Bissaillon returns after hitting .296 with a .410 on-base and .472 slugging percentage while knocking in 27 runs, 32 total hits, seven doubles, four home runs and 10 runs scored.

 

While non-conference play begins over the next few weeks, conference competition will get underway the week of March 23.