The Mystic Schooners, in their third year after moving from Bristol, made the playoffs for the first time after going 9-31 a year ago. Their first matchup against Newport, the Gulls are looking to win their second straight NECBL championship in a row, as well as their league-leading sixth title. The Schooners as a franchise have won once, back when they were the Eastern Tides in 1998, but look for their first championship appearance under a new name.
MYSTIC SCHOONERS - 22-22, #3 seed in the Eastern Division (8 games back)
Mystic got here by staying out of the tiebreakers and hitting the ball well, something they struggled to do in the regular season, hitting just .237. They've broken out in the playoffs, scoring 18 runs in their first two games and upsetting the #2 seeded Ocean State Waves. The only upset of the first round, a majority of the Eastern Division will be rooting for them to take down the consistently good Gulls. The Schooners may have a low average, but they've hit 22 home runs, good for third in the league. There pitching is in the middle of the pack with a 3.53 team ERA, but they get the job done and its what counts. Just getting this far is huge for the Schooners, who as mentioned above, had two straight losing seasons after moving from Bristol.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SEASON STATS)
1. Keaton Flint-LF- .266/23R/9RBI
2. Brandon Cipolla-CF- .252/14R/21RBI
3. Alec Keller -2B- .291/16R/11RBI
4. Nico Darras-1B- .340/15R/12RBI
5. Tyler Boyd-DH- .270/27R/24RBI
6. Matt OHerron-3B- .204/6R/9RBI
7. Kyle Holland-C- .258/4R/7RBI
8. Byron Campbell-RF- .207/14R/15RBI
9. Anthony Turgeon-SS- .204/13R/9RBI
2. Brandon Cipolla-CF- .252/14R/21RBI
3. Alec Keller -2B- .291/16R/11RBI
4. Nico Darras-1B- .340/15R/12RBI
5. Tyler Boyd-DH- .270/27R/24RBI
6. Matt OHerron-3B- .204/6R/9RBI
7. Kyle Holland-C- .258/4R/7RBI
8. Byron Campbell-RF- .207/14R/15RBI
9. Anthony Turgeon-SS- .204/13R/9RBI
NEWPORT GULLS - 30-14, #1 seed in the Eastern Division (0 games back)
Just face it, the Gulls are always good. It's the same story this year, as Newport breezed into the division finals with a two game sweep of the #4 seeded Sanford Mainers. Near the top in both hitting and fielding, the Gulls are second in average and fourth in fielding percentage. Their shining point, however is their incredible pitching. A 2.18 ERA, which is a full 60 points ahead of the second place team and combined with their great offense make the Gulls once again a scary team to face off against.
Just face it, the Gulls are always good. It's the same story this year, as Newport breezed into the division finals with a two game sweep of the #4 seeded Sanford Mainers. Near the top in both hitting and fielding, the Gulls are second in average and fourth in fielding percentage. Their shining point, however is their incredible pitching. A 2.18 ERA, which is a full 60 points ahead of the second place team and combined with their great offense make the Gulls once again a scary team to face off against.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SEASON STATS)1. Shea Donlin-2B- .274/14R/11RBI
2. Adrian English-3B- .296/19R/12RBI
3. Trace Tam Sing-SS- .312/36R/15RBI
4. Ben Roberts-LF- .312/43R/35RBI
5. Steve Anderson-1B- .236/25R/42RBI
6. Timmy Robinson-RF- .279/19R/22RBI
7. Brett Winger-DH- .247/9R/8RBI
8. Ethan Ferreira-C- .266/10R/12RBI
9. Cody Jones-CF- .261/32R/13RBI
SERIES PROJECTED STARTERS
Newport's Mark McCoy vs. Mystic's Kurt Sowa
Newport's James Mulry vs. Mystic's Anthony Galan
Newport's Brett Lilek vs. Mystic's Jeffery Stoddard
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