The Middlebury baseball team has earned the second seed in the NESCAC West. The squad hosts Bowdoin, the East's third seed, in the opening round of the conference tournament. Both sides meet for a best-of-three series set to begin on Friday at 3:00 p.m. from the Baseball and Softball Complex.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers secure a spot in the NESCAC Tournament for the ninth time. 
• The squad finished the regular season with a 22-10 mark and a 7-5 record in conference action.
• It marks the fifth consecutive campaign that Middlebury has finished with a .500 or better mark during NESCAC West play.
• The navy and white have advanced to the championship weekend eight times, claiming four conference crowns.
• The Panthers look to secure their third straight conference title and fifth in program history.
• Middlebury touts a productive offense, sitting in the league's top three in multiple categories. The Panthers are second in slugging percentage (.478), total bases (503), doubles (77), home runs (22) and triples (14). Middlebury slots third with 322 hits.
• On the hill, the navy and white hold opposing hitters to a .250 batting average and 244 hits given up, pacing the conference in both areas. The Panthers slot in the top half in three categories, including runs allowed (175), strikeouts (213) and a 4.88 earned run average (ERA).

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Henry Ayers has had a debut season to remember. The rookie leads the conference in a sea of offensive categories, including batting average (.475), on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.208), total bases (85), hits (58), runs scored (42) and doubles (14). He has a hit in 26 of his 30 appearances in the lineup.
• Sam Gersch slots second on the squad and fourth in the NESCAC with a .408 batting average. The first-year has logged 11 multi-hit efforts this season, headlined by a 5-for-5 day with five RBI against Lawrence on March 25 in Florida. Gersch also leads the team with 17 stolen bases.
• Slotting in as Middlebury's primary designated hitter, Joe Basso has carved out a career-best campaign. He owns a .395 average with 30 hits and 15 RBI. Basso has hit safely in four straight games entering the weekend. 
• Aiden Han is an all-around player for the Panthers. The infielder sports 22 hits and a .268 batting average over 22 games. He also has 32 putouts and 21 assists for a .964 fielding percentage. Brayden Mathews and Alexander Glasscock have been catalysts in the infield, combining to turn 15 double plays and log 74 assists.
• Christian Zebrowski has a team-leading 5-0 mark and has surrendered just 10 runs over 27 innings of action on the mound. His 35 strikeouts are second on the team, while his .202 batting average against is third. Rookie Chase Zidlicky paces the team in total innings pitched (42.1) and has gone five frames or more in five consecutive outings.
• Dylan Knightly and Stefano Yozzo have held down the bullpen duties. Knightly, who recorded his program-record 54th career appearance last weekend, has a team-best three saves and 13 appearances. Over 27.2 innings, Yozzo has fanned 25 batters.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin appears in the NESCAC Tournament for the 11th time and fourth in the past five campaigns after missing the postseason a season ago.
• The Polar Bears have won 11 playoff contests and have not advanced to championship weekend since upsetting top-seeded Wesleyan in the 2023 quarterfinals.
• Bowdoin seeks its initial league title and ninth berth to the final weekend.
• The Polar Bears claimed the third seed in the East Division after a 5-7 conference record and defeating Colby in the final weekend of NESCAC action to secure the tiebreaker. Bowdoin is 15-18 and closes their regular season with a battle at the University of Maine. 

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Will Logue paces the squad with a .328 batting average and .418 on-base percentage over 25 contests. His top performance came in a conference crossover battle with Hamilton, as the senior went 8-for-14 at the plate and scored twice over four contests.
• Will Bordes and Liam Foley have each tallied 29 hits on the season. Foley is the lone player to start all 32 contests and has a team-best 26 runs scored and 25 RBI. Bordes paces the Bowdoin offense with six home runs and three triples.
• Rookie Tommy O'Donnell slots second in batting average (.318) and hits (28) over 30 contests and 27 starts. He has reached base safely in 13 straight games coming into the squad's regular season finale.
• Will Cook has the fourth-most hits for the Polar Bears at 24 and has driven in 19 runs. 
• The final two players with 20 or more hits are Conor Moriarty and Lukas Tsai. They have combined for 56 total bases and 20 runs batted in.
• Bordes has also been Bowdoin's top pitcher, logging a 4-0 record over 34 innings of work. His 30 strikeouts also pace the squad. Jeremiah Chessie is the other pitcher who has thrown north of 30 frames. Over 11 appearances, Chessie has given up 18 runs and struck out 16 batters. 
• Sam Sacerdote sports a team-high three saves and has recorded 18 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY 

• Middlebury and Bowdoin have met 37 times since 2000. The Polar Bears hold a 23-14 lead in the all-time series.
• It will be the first time the two squads have met since splitting a two-game set at UMass Boston in 2023.
• The programs have met just once in NESCAC Tournament action. Middlebury grabbed a 12-10 victory during championship weekend on the way to its initial NESCAC title in 2006.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Schedule
  • Friday, May 1
    • 3:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 2 
    • Game Two - 11:00 a.m.
    • Game Three If Necessary - 2:30 p.m.
• Championship Central
• NESCAC Championship Records

The winner of the series advances to the championship weekend. The double-elimination tournament is hosted by Trinity from May 8-10.