Number Six: The Team of Destiny Captured Their Moment, SwampBats Are NECBL Champions!

VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. - The Keene SwampBats (6-0) took home the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup after sweeping the Martha's Vineyard Sharks (4-3) in the NECBL championship. The Bats finish their undefeated postseason with back-to-back comeback wins, this time trailing 7-0 early on, and rallying big after getting blanked for the first four innings.

A hungry Sharks offense greeted Kyle Peters (UConn) with 7 runs in the first two innings. Though Peters was determined to keep going, and delivered 4 straight scoreless innings to follow. This ignited the Bats' offense to follow.

The game began to turn in the fifth when Keene's offense finally broke through. Ty Mainolfi (Boston) put the visitors on the board with a sacrifice fly before Ripken Reese (Kent St), who would go on to have a career night, smashed a two-run double to cut the deficit to 7–3. Jack Herring (East Carolina) followed with a single, and Michael O'Brien's (Little Rock) RBI drag bunt made it 7–4, giving the Bats new life.

In the sixth, Reese delivered again—this time with a towering three-run homer to left that tied the game and silenced the home crowd. Just one inning later, Keene's offense erupted for nine runs in the seventh to seize control. The rally was highlighted by yet another three-run blast from Reese, capping his incredible night at the plate and series, with 12 RBI's in the championship series.

Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) reached base four times and scored four runs, while TJ Schuyler (Indiana) chipped in three RBI's, two runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases to keep the pressure on the Sharks.

While the bats were making noise, Keene's bullpen was quietly dominant, tossing three scoreless innings to keep the door shut. Ben Dean (Duke) handled the ninth, sealing the comeback win with a clean frame. By the final out, the SwampBats had scored 16 unanswered runs, turning what looked like a long night into one of the most memorable victories of the summer. Keene continues to show why they're one of the most dangerous teams in the NECBL—no lead, it seems, is ever safe against the Bats.

The first NECBL title in six years, dating back to 2019, the 2025 Keene SwampBats capped off a historic season on the best possible note. The best regular season in franchise history led to an undefeated postseason. This team was something special.

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Oak Bluffs, MA – Led by game one hero Ripken Reese (Kent St), the Keene SwampBats have defeated the Martha's Vineyard Sharks 16-7 to claim the NECBL Championship. After a walk-off grand slam in yesterday's contest, Reese picked up right where he left off, going 3-6 with two homers and a double. He drove in eight runs as part of a monstrous three-inning stretch where Keene scored all 16 runs unanswered.

After dropping game one in a heartbreaker, the Sharks came out hungry at their home field. In the bottom of the first, Max Kaufer (South Carolina) homered in his fourth straight game, scoring three, while Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan) drove in two with a double. Will Hampton (Vanderbilt) added to the Sharks' early lead with a two-run blast in the second. 

From there, it was all SwampBats. The magic from yesterday's 11-run comeback made its way back tonight for game two. Keene scored 16 runs across three innings, with four in the fifth, three in the sixth, and a whopping nine in the seventh. There were only three extra base hits in this stretch, but they all came off the bat of Reese. With his two homers and a double, Reese's power, paired with a handful of Sharks errors, walks, and hit by pitches, put the SwampBats in the driver's seat. Michael O'Brien (Arkansas Little Rock), Nick Romano (FAU), and TJ Schuyler (Indiana) also had RBI base knocks for Keene. 

Keene righty Andrew Lepine (Stetson) was credited with the win, going 1.2 innings in relief. Ryan Ashford (Miami) took the loss for the Sharks as he succumbed to the hot SwampBat hitters.

With the win, Keene finishes the postseason an unbeaten 6-0 following a dominant 32-12 regular season. This is also their first Championship since 2019, where they also took down the Sharks. Congratulations to both Keene and Martha's Vineyard on fantastic seasons.