2025 NECBL Playoff Preview (necbl.com)

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The 2025 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) regular season has officially come to an end and the race for the Fay Vincent Sr Cup is in full stride. The bracket features the two Division Champions, the Keene SwampBats for the North and the Newport Gulls for the South both at the one seed. The remaining teams from the North include the Sanford Mainers, The North Adams SteepleCats, and The Upper Valley Nighthawks. The South includes the Bristol Blues, the Martha's Vineyard Sharks, and the Mystic Schooners.

The seedings are as follows: 

North: 

1. Keene Swampbats (32-12)

2. Sanford Mainers (22-22)

3. North Adams (21-23)

4. Upper Valley Nighthawks (18-26)

South: 

1. Newport Gulls (29-15)

2. Bristol Blues (27-17)

3. Martha's Vineyard Sharks (25-19)

4. Mystic Schooners (22-22) 

The postseason begins on Friday, August 1st with four "best of three" opening round matchups. Home field advantage (Games 1 and 3) will belong to the number 1 and 2 seeds within the division. The lower seeds will play host in game 2.

The opening round winners will move on to the Divisional Championship Round, which will also be a "best of three" format. The higher seeds will continue to have home field advantage, and the Divisional Round is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 4th. 

The Divisional Round winners will advance to the NECBL Championship Series, or the Fay Vincent Sr Cup. The format will continue to be "best-two-of-three," and games 1 and 3 (if necessary) will be played at the home of the best seed remaining. Game 2 will be played at the opponent, or lower seed's, home field.

Read below to find which matchups will be telecasted on ESPN+ and the NECBL+. The Championship Series can be viewed on ESPN+.

Here are the first-round matchups for the 2025 postseason: 

North: 

#1 Keene SwampBats vs. #4  Upper Valley Nighthawks 

Keene dominated not only the North, but the entire NECBL this season. The only team to reach the thirty win mark not only exceeded it, but finished with twenty more wins than losses at 32-12, easily winning the North Division. Upper Valley was able to slide into the four spot in the North at 18-26 due to a not incredibly competitive division. Regardless of their record, the Nighthawks maintained a consistency all season that earned them a playoff spot after hosting the 2025 NECBL All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in White River Junction, VT. 

#2 Sanford Mainers vs. #3 North Adams SteepleCats 

Sanford maintained very consistent play all season, accumulating an even .500 record at 22-22. A solid roster with power hitters like Brennan Hudson (Georgia) became even more powerful after the addition of more players such as Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) once the College Baseball World Series had finished. North Adams finished the season two games below .500, at 21-23. Solid pitching from the likes of Kyle Salvati (Franklin Pierce) drastically helped the SteepleCats all season, on top of power bats like Robert Stang (Dayton) and on-base machines like Nelphie Lopez (Stetson). 

South Division: 

#1 Newport Gulls vs. #4 Mystic Schooners

The defending NECBL champion Newport Gulls have been on fire all season, with an incredibly well-rounded team that features a lot of power in its lineup. Winning the South at 29-15, the Gulls were led on offense by power hitters Mike Gupton (Memphis) and Matt Bolton (Binghamton), along with on-base machine Randy Seymour (Michigan State). On the mound, Finbar O'Brien (Gonzaga) shut everyone down, an instant nomination for Starting Pitcher for the NECBL All-Star Game. Mystic on the other hand, battled Danbury for the fourth spot in the South, finishing half a game ahead of the Westerners at an even 22-22 to snag the fourth spot in the South. Led by offensive powerhouses Eric Cha (Northeastern) and Maddix Dalena (UConn), Mystic finished the season having won seven of their last ten, slowly creeping to their eventual four seed spot. 

#2 Bristol Blues vs. #3 Martha's Vineyard Sharks

Bristol finishes the season at 27-17, two games behind the Newport Gulls in an incredibly competitive South Division. Despite that, Bristol still finished with a very solid record with ten more wins than losses. Batters like Gianno Merlonghi (Central Conn) and pitching from Brendan Yagesh (Virginia Tech) played massive roles in the Blues' success this season. Martha's Vineyard finished the season at 25-19 with a positive record to snag the three seed in the South. Solid all-around pitching from guys like Rohan Lettow (Arizona State) and Colby McNeely (Rider) kept the Sharks in check all season, on top of solid hitting from Evan Appelwick (Miami Ohio) and Brayden Martin (Maryland), with all four players making the South All-Stars.

2025 Playoff Schedule: 

Friday, August 1 - Sunday, August 3: Opening (Quarterfinals) Series, best-of-three format. Higher seeds host games 1 and 3 if necessary. 

○ Series 1: #1 Keene SwampBats vs. #4 Upper Valley Nighthawks 

○ Series 2: #2 Sanford Mainers vs. #3 North Adams SteepleCats 

○ Series 3: #1 Newport Gulls vs. #4 Mystic Schooners

○ Series 4: #2 Bristol Blues vs. #3 Martha's Vineyard Sharks 

Monday, August 4 - Wednesday, Aug 6: Semifinals Series (best-of-three format - highest remaining seeds in each division host games one and three, if necessary) 

○ Series 5: Winner of Series # 1 vs. Winner of Series # 2

○ Series 6: Winner of Series # 3 vs. Winner of Series # 4

Thursday, August 7 - Saturday, August 9: Championship Series (best-of-three format, divisional winners - higher seed hosts games one and three, if necessary)

○ Series 7: North Division Champion vs. South Division Champion

The NECBL congratulates its eight franchises that made it to the postseason and wish them the best in their quest for the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup!

The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visitNECBL.com and follow the league on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.